


A Martyr's Red Blood

by BucketLover



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Ancestors (Homestuck), Ancestors with Pre-Scratch Names, Gen, On Hiatus, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-09
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-02-12 06:16:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 23,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12953130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BucketLover/pseuds/BucketLover
Summary: The Signless: the mutant without a sign; the prophet who spoke, inspiring thousands; the one who died so Alternia would change for the better. Every troll has heard of him, but no one knows how his story began. No one knows how he ended up fighting for equality between lowbloods and highbloods. And no one knows what happened to those who fought alongside him. This is his story. The story of the Signless.





	1. A candy red grub

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my first fanfiction of this kind. I always wanted to read the story of The Sufferer from beginning to end but I never found one. So I made my own. :) Please keep in mind that some things may change from what I wrote at the beginning. Not major things but I will make modifications here and there. That being said, I hope you enjoy it!

The cave was dark. The black holes would swallow any living being passing trough them. The only thing piercing them was the sound of footsteps. A single individual moved swiftly through the darkness.

It was a jade blooded troll bearing the Sign of the Virgin. Her dark hair reached right above her shoulders. It was slightly curly. Two differently shaped horns were decorating her locks. One of them was sharp at the top and the other was deformed slightly making it look like a hook. Both of the horns were red at the bottom and were turning yellow to the top. Her gray skin was covered by a black dress with jade stripes highlighting the Virgo sign on her front.

Her name was Porrim Maryam. She was 10 sweeps old. She has been an auxiliatrice for barely one sweep. Even though she was young and inexperienced, she was a fast learner and somehow understood the Mothergrub's needs better than others. Because of this, she was favoured by her and disliked by the the other auxiliatrices. However, she didn't let this interfere with her work.

She was on an errand. She walked fast through the twisted corridors, not stopping once being confused about where she needed to turn next. In her right hand she held a letter she was supposed to deliver to another troll. She didn't like the fact that she was still considered good enough only for running around the place doing whatever others told her but she was a newcomer and it couldn't be helped.

Porrim reached her destination when she stepped in a big gallery. The Mothergrub was sleeping in the middle of it with a few unhatched grub eggs scattered across the room. Near one of the exits stood another auxiliatrice, an Attendent. One of the jade bloods on the top that you absolutely don't want to enrage. It appeared she just finished talking to someone when she turned around. Her expression was that of annoyance when her eyes spotted Porrim. She started walking fast towards the other troll.

"It took you long enough!" the Attendant shouted angrily as she snatched the letter from Porrim's hands. She quickly turned on her heel and left. Porrim stood there and watched her leave for a few minutes before she finally turned around. She decided she would return to her quarters for the day. As she made the first step her leg stumbled upon something. She looked down and in front of her stood a bright red grub.

The grub had weird candy red colour and it was looking up at her. Its mess of black hair was pierced by two orange bumps that came out of his small head. He had bright red eyes that looked at her in curiosity.

Porrim got closer and stared at the weird creature in front of her. It was strange, to say the least. She has never seen a color like that before and she quickly realized the cruel fate of the innocent grub that stood in front of her.

The auxiliatrice felt pity for it. She thought she could end its misery before it had to experience an even worse fate. That color wasn't on the Hemospectrum. That means that even if it managed to make it past the cave trials, it would be culled once the blood color would be found out. More than that, she thought there is no lusus that would take it. It was hopeless.

Porrim took the creature in her hands. It started struggling in her arms looking at her scared. The jade troll walked towards the cave's wall and turned her head away from the terrified grub.

It started screeching. The sounds it was making were loud and erratic. The grub started moving around like it knew what was about to happen to it.

The troll raised her arms in the air along with the grub. She started bringing it down with force, but before she was able to smash its head on the wall, Porrim made the mistake of looking at it. She stopped herself in midair.

The little grub had pale red tears in its eyes. It looked at her and she could see terror written all over its face. Porrim fell to her knees holding the grub close to her chest. She started crying and sobbing. She couldn't do it. She knew that she was supposed to; that it was the right thing, but she couldn't do it. She couldn't spare this poor grub of the hardships it was fated to experience in its life. When her tears finally dried on her grey face and she looked down at it, it was asleep. Her chest's warmth must have calmed him down.

She got to her feet and looked around to check if anyone has seen her. No one was in sight. While looking at her surroundings, her eyes landed on the Mothergrub. She was awake and was looking at her. Porrim dropped the grub from her arms. It jolted awake and made a small surprise noise while looking up at her.

The Mothergrub switched her gaze from her to the grub. Porrim stood in place not knowing how to react. She looked at the Mothergrub trying to decipher what to do. No hints were written on her face but the jade troll could see something else in her eyes. Affection. That was a gaze she had only when looking at some of her offspring.

Light jade tears started sliding down her cheeks when she realised what it meant. For the Mothergrub it was all the same. Whether it was the Heiress herself or a mere mutant she loved them all. That meant that it could be possible. It could be possible to live in a world where everyone would be equal. If the Mothergrub, the creature their entire species needed to exist, didn't discriminate why were they?

Porrim wiped her tears and looked back at the red grub. She crouched again and put her hand on his small head. It looked curiously at her. She had to do it. She couldn't let this poor grub go into that cruel world alone.

The young auxiliatrice took the grub in her arms and wrapped him around her dress. He didn't object this time, knowing he was safe. She made sure he was asleep before she started walking fast towards her quarters.

When she entered her room she put the grub down on a rug she found lying around. She moved quickly around the room putting anything that might be useful in a sack. Money and food were the most important but it would be good if she could fit in the sack some clothes for the first winter that will come soon. She strapped her bag with a leather belt and put it on her shoulders. She wrapped the grub in a large black piece of fabric and ran out the door.

What she was about to do was extremely risky and dangerous. If she was caught she would definitely get culled along with the grub. Porrim wouldn't allow that, though. This grub had a right to live just like any other troll. She would protect him even if it means her own death. They will fight through everything that would come their way.

She walked down the long corridors again, turning left or right every so often. Soon, Porrim found herself at the exit of the cave and fresh air filled her nostrils for the first time in a long time. She was lucky. It appears that there were no guards. It was something that doesn't usually happened, but the jade troll took advantage of that to run away from the containment of the cave.

It was dark outside. The pink moon could be easily seen and Porrim stopped for a second to look at it. The green moon was slowly rising in the sky on the west side. That means it was still early in the night and she wouldn't have to worry about daylight. She started walking away from the cave. It would be troublesome if another troll would see her now.

She walked for a few kilometers, the cool wind embracing her body. The stars were beautiful that night. There were no clouds and everything could be seen clearly. The sand was dry, but it also seemed welcoming, being more gentle than in other, harsher nights. Porrim knew that the nature was celebrating the birth of this  _different_  grub. He was special. He would, one day prove to the whole world that hate is not what their kind was supposed to feel towards one another.

It was almost morning when she reached an oasis. She sat down near a tree making sure its branches would shield them from the cruel sun of the day. She closed her eyes and was about to fall asleep after a long night, but she felt some movement in her arms. She opened her eyes and looked over to the red grub.

He was awake. He looked up at her with big eyes, confused as to where he is. Porrim smiled at him.

"Hello, little one," Porrim whispered. "Are you hungry?"

The red grub screeched in response. Porrim reached into her bag and took out a grubloaf. She took a small piece and brought it to the grub's mouth.

He started munching on it. Porrim continued feeding him until he seemed satisfied.

"I'm going to have to give you a name." There were a lot of names to choose from. One that stood out was from a story she heard a long time ago.

The first troll to ever talk about equality between the lowbloods and highbloods. He was a threshecutioner who believed that lowbloods shouldn't be culled just to satisfy the highbloods' boredom.

He tried talking and negotiating with the Subjugglators and the Condesce, but he was executed on the spot. After that, speaking of him was forbidden because it might give the trolls motivation to revolt. Anyone who broke this rule was culled. Even so, he was never forgotten. Lowbloods passed down the story in secrecy and in the present only very few know the name of the troll considered a hero because he died for the good of his people. His name was Kankri Vantas.

Porrim knew that their lives won't be easy from now on. It would be worse than hell to live in this world, but they will make it. They will definitely make it.

"Kankri. Do you like that name?"

The grub laughed and Porrim started crying for the third time that day. This creature was so beautiful, so complex and yet so simple.

This day will always be a day that Porrim will remember for it is the day she ran away from her duties to raise a mutant. The day in which the individual who will change Alternia forever was born. The day Kankri hatched. And the day his story began.


	2. An old hive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second chapter of this magnificent story! Enjoy!!!

The next evening Porrim woke up from her deep sleep. The blinding sun was barely setting when her tired jade eyes opened. The nightmares troubled her sleep, like every time, but she was used to it by now. They didn't bother her so much anymore.

The sleepiness, however was quickly run over by worry when she couldn't feel Kankri's weight in her arms. The jade troll stood up and looked around. Her beating heart only calmed down when she saw the grub curiously examining a leaf a few meters away from her. Her lips curled upwards in a loving smile as she walked over to him.

When she picked him up, he made a small surprise noise. Porrim turned him over so he could rest on his back. Kankri's eyes lit up and he smiled after he saw the familiar face that fed him a night before.

Porrim went back to the tree and sat down near it. She reached in her bag and got another grubloaf from which she took small pieces to feed her grub. He almost ate the whole loaf until he decided he was full. After, the jade troll heard her own stomach grumble she checked the bag to see how much food was left. Only after making sure it was enough she allowed herself to finished the small piece left from Kankri's grubloaf.

She finished eating quickly and after she gave some water to the grub and drank some herself, she continued the long road. She decided that her old hive will be their destination. It would be a good place for Kankri to pupate and even if it has been raided by the rogue trolls it could give them shelter for the winters that will come soon.

The walk was long and exhausting. For their journey to take as little as possible, Porrim walked during the days too. She made sure Kankri was well protected from the sun while she would tolerate it. It did bother her but it didn't blind her like it did to other trolls. It had something to do with the color of her blood. During the journey most of the food went to Kankri, who was a grub preparing for pupation. He had to eat as much as possible, leaving Porrim with little to no food.

After about five days of walking, the jade troll finally had the hunger and exhaustion catch up to her. The sun was up in the sky and the scorching heat of the desert was too much to bear. Porrim was sure she would have fallen to the ground right then and there if luck hadn't smiled upon her. Right in front of her, about 40 meters away stood the remains of what appeared to be a carriage.

She started walking faster trying her best not to trip. Her long dress wasn't helping her with this. When Porrim finally reached the broken pieces of wood she fell down in their shadows and passed out instantly.

When she woke up the air around her was cool. She sighed in pleasure as she opened her eyes. She stood up and looked around her. Only now she noticed that the sand was stained. Instead of the blinding white that shone even during the night there was a giant, horrendous splotch of bronze and yellow. Porrim didn't know what happened there but she could guess. The blood stains were still fresh so it must have happened just a while back.

Porrim stood up and looked inside the carriage. There was a sack that she took and opened. Inside there were about a dozen fruits. Not believing her eyes she reached inside the bag and took out a green fruit with soft skin. These were krihiaples. A kind of fruit with a soft, green skin and bitter taste that were really expensive.

Without hesitation, the jade troll took a big bite from the fruit. In a few minutes the krihiaple she held in her hand was already gone and her hunger disappeared. She put Kankri on the still warm sand and put every fruit in her bag. It was heavier now but she will have to carry it. She still had some food but she was out of water and these fruits would work perfectly as a substitute.

Deciding she shouldn't keep hanging around in case someone returned for what they lost, Porrim started walking again. She reached her hive 10 days later. The hive looked almost the same. Except it wasn't as tidy and it was obvious that someone has been there after she left. The door was wide open, for example. When the troll reached it she stopped in front of it.

She took a deep breath and stepped inside not letting her guard down for a second. She didn't close the door in case she had to escape. With slow and steady steps, Porrim walked through the place she once called home. She held Kankri close to her chest making sure to protect him.

The jade blood looked around the first floor of the hive to make sure it was safe. The place was a mess. Furniture was overturned everywhere and the floor was full of dust. Porrim could tell that no one has been there for a while but she couldn't risk it.

She kept exploring until she made sure the first floor was clear of any enemies. When she checked every block and every corner she made her way up the stairs. She looked into every single room, even though she knew some of them had been empty. When she still lived here she thought that all of those extra blocks were useless and left them with nothing in them, but most of the things she used to deposit in there were stolen.

There was only one block she didn't look in: her respiteblock where she used to spend most of her time in. When she opened the door countless flashbacks appeared in her mind about all the things she did here, by herself or with her lusus and some friends. She wondered if they were still alive. If they were, were they leading a good life? She doubted it. Most of her friends were lowbloods, after all.

Porrim finally let down her guard. The block looked the same but also different. It was a big area with pale green walls and a window on the opposite wall of where she was standing. Right below it, there was a desk with a chair that was on the floor. In the far, right corner, stood what remained of her recuperacoon. Near it a small nightstand that had gathered a lot of dust. In the other side of the room there was a closet as big as the wall. Porrim walked to it and opened it. There was still a few torn pieces of fabric but all of the clothes she had to leave behind were gone.

She walked over to her desk and put Kankri down on it. He was still asleep. She opened the first drawer and used her claws to lift the fake bottom that her rust blooded friend made for her a long time ago. From there she took the spare key and ran downstairs to lock the door. For the first time in a few weeks she finally felt safe.

She went and checked every window to make sure it was closed and when the jade troll returned upstairs she found Kankri awake, almost falling off the desk. Porrim walked over to him and sat down on the chair, after picking it up. She opened her sack and took out the last two krihiaples. She gave one to Kankri and ate one herself.

She finished it quickly and her gaze started following the small grub's every movement as he was munching on the bitter fruit she gave him. After he was done, he looked up at her with his big, red eyes. Porrim smiled, her fangs showing slightly.

She was really tired. She walked around the block and tried to make a comfortable sleeping place out of everything she could find. When she was done, the light outside her window told her that she should get some sleep. She picked up Kankri and put him near her after she lay down. She made sure he was asleep. Only then, Porrim let the sweet world of nightmares overtake her.

When her eyes opened, the place was covered in darkness once again. The pink moon was giving it a little bit of light. The jade blood looked beside her, only to realize that her little grub wasn't there. She sat up, rubbing the sleep off her eyes. She scanned the block and her eyes landed on a strange structure hanging from the ceiling that wasn't there before.

She walked over to it and she noticed how the light of the moon reflected off it. At the bottom, there was a small hole and as she got closer she noticed some black strands of hair moving. By the time she was near it, the hole was almost sealed but there was enough space to see a few locks of hair and after a few more seconds, everything turned to silk.

Porrim gently touched the pupa. She looked back to where the hole used to be and a small, loving smile appeared on her face. Her little grub would soon become a wiggler. He began his pupation and in a few perigees he would learn to walk and speak and survive.

The jade troll started pacing her respiteblock thinking about what to do next. She stopped when she noticed the view outside her window. She approached it and took in everything she saw. The sky was clear and hundreds of thousands of stars stretched throughout the horizon. The time seemed to stop as Porrim convinced herself once again that they would make it. They will be able to survive in this world, no matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! Any constructive criticism is welcome. Thanks for reading and tell me what you think!!!


	3. A good friend's death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is the third chapter. Enjoy!!!

The crescent moons were brightening up the sky and they were getting higher and higher.

Porrim stepped away from the window and looked around her block to find her bag. She took it in her hands and threw on the floor every piece of clothing that she stuffed in there. At the bottom, there was a small sack of money that she managed to take from the Brooding Caverns. Afterwards, she looked through what she brought with her and took a long, black cloak that would cover her entire figure.

She was about to leave, but before she did, she looked at the corner of the block where Kankri was resting. The jade troll suppressed any thought that something might happen in her absence and ran down the stairs and left through the door, making sure to lock it.

The air of the desert was cold and the sand shifted beneath her feet with every step she took. Porrim used to follow this road almost every day, when she was younger. She was going into the small city, that was just west of her hive, to get some food supplies. She had to be careful, because it is unusual for a young jade blooded troll who is supposed to be an auxiliatrice walk around, outside. She wouldn't be able to explain her presence there if a highblood caught her.

The journey took about 20 minutes and when Porrim caught sight of the city in the distance, she started feeling nervous.

The buildings were large with a main road going through the middle of the it. The different colored constructions had small, narrow streets between. The jade troll decided to walk on the backstreets because the main road was way too full of trolls of all kinds of castes and ages. Some of them were walking alone, trying not to be noticed and others, in groups shouting and laughing.

Porrim made sure her cloak was covering her face before she entered the city, in case someone would recognize her. She started walking through the back streets in the direction of shop she knew it had what she wanted: good food at a cheap price.

She didn't run into too many trolls, but she still made sure to look around, in case someone followed her. She entered the shop in a hurry and slammed the door shut. The troll behind the counter, a bronze blood, gave her a look of annoyance before he returned to the book he was reading.

The jade troll took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She was way too nervous and she might mess something up because of that. After she managed to calm her nerves, Porrim started walking around the store and picked up as much food as she could get and still have some money afterwards. She put it in a bag and placed in front of the other troll.

He seemed annoyed again, but he looked through what Porrim got. After he was done he told her the price and she placed a few coins in his hand. He quickly got back to his book as Porrim picked up her bag and walked out the door.

She walked fast ignoring the few trolls that were hanging around the backstreets. She wanted to get out of the city as soon as possible but a commotion caught her attention. She stopped after she passed by a small street that was connecting to the main road. Trying not to be seen, Porrim peeked at what was happening.

Her breath hitched in her throat in shock after she saw what happened.

In the middle of the street, there was a rust blood kneeling in front of Subjugglator. He had small pointed horns curved outwards. His black hair was curly and short. He was wearing a set of completely black clothes with a symbol on his chest: Arrius- The sign of the Visualizer.

He was Tremok Lumvax. He is Porrim's moirail. Or at least he used to be before she left to fulfill her duty as an auxiliatrix. Leaving him was the hardest thing she has ever done. They used to be so close and did almost everything together. She couldn't believe what she was witnessing.

"Just let it go," Tremok cried out to the highblood in front of him as he clutched his stomach in pain.

Porrim looked at her. She was tall and big like every other Subjugglator. Like them she was wearing face paint but she was wielding two long, sharp knives. Her hair was straight and it was barely reaching her shoulder. Her horns were long, thick at the bottom and sharp at the top. They were slightly curved inwards. Capriga- The sign of the Surveyor was beautifully embroidered on her black shirt. She wore a sick grin on her face.

The jade troll has never seen her before, but recognized her as Sernah Imviar. A purple blood that lived in this city, walking around killing lots of lowbloods. She loved killing. The color on her fluffy pants and drops of blood on her left cheek was proof enough.

"Oh, and why would I do that? You wasted my time by not letting me pass." She licked her lips as she started approaching Tremok. He struggled to stand up and looked into her eyes.

"I already apologized. Are you seriously going to kill me just because of that? What gives you the right to do it? I am in no way beneath you," Tremok shouted trying his best to ignore the pain that was going through his body.

Sernah's eyes started filling with rage as she shouted. "You? You damn fudgeblood are not beneath me? Are you messing around with me? I should kill you just for saying that!" All of the trolls in the vicinity flinched after hearing her powerful voice. "You are at the bottom, the lowest of the low, beneath me, yet you talk like you are my equal?"

The highblood kept walking towards Tremok. In a flash, she ran past him and put her knives away. The rust blood let out a cry of pain as he fell to the ground. The purple blood turned around and spit in his direction.

"Bleed to death, fudgeblood." She turned around and left not looking behind her once.

Porrim screamed Tremok's name as she ran towards him. She dropped her bag on the ground as she helped him sit on his back. She looked at his stomach which had a giant, horizontal cut. There was blood everywhere. She used her hands to press as hard as she could trying to stop it.

"Porrim? What are you doing here?" Tremok's voice was shaking as he talked.

"Shh, don't speak. Let me treat you, we can stop the bleeding." It took Porrim everything to hold her tears back.

Tremok chuckled. "I lost too much blood. I won't make it. Please, at least let me hear your voice in my last moments," he couldn't talk anymore, his words turning to violent coughs that caused him even more pain.

"No, there must be something we can do. I can't let you die." Jade tears started falling down her grey cheeks. Tremok smiled and used his clawed hand to wipe them.

"Please, Porrim." Even though he didn't say it, she knew what that plead meant. 'Let me die in peace.' The jade blooded troll admired that so much about her friend. He had never been afraid of death. She knew that he was prepared for it and even welcomed it as just another obstacle that he had to pass.

Porrim sighed and tried her best to smile. "I adopted a grub. He was different and I knew that he wouldn't survive alone. I took him and ran away. He pupated and I came here to get food. He is the most wonderful creature I have ever seen," she stuttered when she spoke trying to control her tears.

"That's unusual." Tremok smiled. "But you always did things like that. You stood out from everyone else. I am so glad that I spent my sweeps with you."

"No, please, don't leave me. You can't die here. Not like this," Porrim started rambling uncontrollably as sobs took over her body.

The rust blood sighed. "Please, don't cry because of me. I will always be with you. Just promise me one thing: stay safe and don't let anyone tell you how to leave your life."

Tremok closed three fingers on his right hand leaving the index and middle finger. He used the last of his strength to raise his hand. Porrim followed and used her own blood stained hand to form a diamond.

"I promise." As soon as Porrim whispered those words, Tremok's burgundy eyes closed, his smile froze and his hand fell leaving Porrim's fingers to symbolize their broken moirallegiance.

Porrim started crying and sobbing, holding the body of her best friend to her chest. The rest of the trolls, however, were just walking past her. The lowbloods looked at her with pity, maybe understanding what she was going through. The highbloods were just passing by without a care.

She kept crying in the middle of the road before she remembered the promise she made to him. She wiped her tears and stood up. She put her bag on her shoulder and took the lifeless body of her ex-moirail in her arms.

She stepped past the city gates and into the unforgiving desert. She walked for a few minutes until she reached a big, withered tree. They spent a lot of time laying under that tree. Watching the infinite sky and talking about anything and everything.

Porrim put Tremok down near the tree stump. Porrim decided to bury him. She just couldn't leave him lying around to be prey to the undead beings. She started digging a hole using her hands. It took her a few hours, and her hands even started bleeding but she didn't give up. By the time she was done, the morning sun peeked from over the sand dunes. She picked up Tremok and put him slowly into the ground. She looked at him and caressed him cheek softly. Tears threatened to spill again but she got to work before they did.

She filled the hole with sand and after she was done, she put a rock to symbolize the place where her friend was resting. She couldn't control her tears anymore, so she let them fall. She kept crying until there were no more tears to shed. And even then she sat down near the grave she made, mourning the death of her best friend.

When the sun of the desert started heating up the sand in such a way that she couldn't bear it anymore she stood up, took her bag and returned to her hive. She unlocked the front door and let herself fall on the dusted sofa she didn't have time to clean.

She fell asleep instantly, but unlike other times, nightmares didn't plague her sleep. Instead, beautiful memories of her and Tremok that hurt more than any nightmare. How he loved crafting and her hive would fill with items made by him. And how much she hated his fashion sense and made him clothes. Everything they did together came back to her.

She didn't sleep for long and when she woke up she could still feel tears on her cheeks. She felt more rested, so she decided to go upstairs to check on Kankri.

Porrim opened the door to her respiteblock slowly. She walked over to where the crystallized form of her grub was. She touched it and tears spilling from her eyes again.

She decided right then and there that she would never let anyone she loved, die again. Not while she watched helplessly. Kankri was all she had now, and she swore she would protect him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and tell me what you think! :D


	4. A new-found power

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The 4th chapter on New Year's Eve because I have nothing better to do.
> 
> Enjoy!!!

Porrim spent the last few perigees trying her best to not need to go in the city. She walked a lot further to reach the forests and spent there a lot of time, slaying beasts. She would return to her hive once in a while to check on Kankri. The jade troll would, of course, stop by her friend's resting place on her way.

It was the third winter when she returned from one of her hunts. She noticed something wrong with the hive. The air felt cold against her face. Her skin was protected by a thick black cloak. Only her face was visible. On her back she dragged heavily the body of a beast she managed to kill in the forest. It was hard for her to find it, seeing as it was winter and most animals were still hibernating.

When Porrim reached the front door of her hive she noticed that the lock was broken. She entered the place quietly and dropped the body of the beast on the floor. She didn't waste any time exploring the rest of the hive. She just quickly dashed upstairs to where her soon-to-be wiggler rested.

When she reached the room she stopped for a second when she heard voices. She peaked inside and saw two trolls examining the pupa.

"What the fuck is this?" The taller of the two exclaimed.

"I have no idea. It wasn't here when we passed by, last time. Do you think it's valuable?" The other one chuckled.

"Only one way to find out." The one wearing black raised one of the daggers she was holding in her hand but before she could hit the pupa, Porrim distracted her attention by shouting.

"Who are you?"

Startled by the voice, both of them turned around and looked at each other before smiling at Porrim.

The jade troll could see their faces. One of them was an olive blood while the other was a cerulean.

The olive troll had long, messy hair that was obviously never taken care of. Two small, swirly horns were seen in his messy locks. His ripped, dark coloured clothes were covered by a big hoofbeast fur cloak. The sign on the front, Leries, was almost transparent showing how old his clothes were. When his eyes met Porrim's he reached to his hip from where he took a green scepter.

The cerulean troll, however, put her knives back. Her hair was shaved on the right side and on the left side it was falling beautifully on her shoulder. Her horns were black beetle-like with a sharp, curved tip. Her lips and left eyebrow were pierced by what appeared to be gold. Her clothes were neat and taken care of. She wore a blue top having her sign displayed in black: Scorsci- The sign of the Fixer. On her shoulders, a black cloak was giving her warmth, hiding her body frame.

"Oh, we're terribly sorry. We didn't know someone was living here. Right, Ralyie?" Her lips were curved in a smiled that showed her intentions. The other troll put his scepter back and played along

"That's right. We'll leave right away." They didn't leave, however. They stood in place. Porrim knew not to trust them. She moved away from the door and walked towards her desk on which she had a knife. Noticing this, the one named Ralyie took his scepter again. The other one put a hand in front of him to stop him.

"What? But, Prirai, she wants to attack us!"

"Don't jump to conclusions. Maybe, you would be so kind as to feed us?" She smiled at Porrim. "You see, we have been traveling a long road."

Porrim kept walking towards the desk keeping her eyes on the trolls. Once she got there she took the knife in her hand and pointed it towards them. "If you truly have, then you must know that there is no room for strangers. Leave!"

Prirai laughed wholeheartedly. "You don't have to get aggressive. We will leave."

Prirai walked towards the door with Ralyie behind her. Porrim walked towards them slowly. Without warning, the blue blooded troll flicked her wrist to give Ralyie a sign that meant 'go all out'.

He used his speed to get behind Porrim in a second. He used his scepter to choke her and limit her movements. Prirai turned around.

"After we steal everything you own. Don't struggle and we might let you live." She grinned at Porrim showing her fangs. "Now, tell me what that thing is." She pointed to the crystal structure in the corner of the room.

"It isn't anything worth money." Porrim spoke without being able to control herself. She felt some sort of energy coming from the troll interrogating her.

"I see. Where do you keep your money?" Prirai continued.

Porrim tried her best to keep her mouth shut, but it was in vain. "There is a small bag under the fake-bottom of the first drawer." She used her head to point to her desk. The blue blooded troll walked over to where the desk is. After rummaging through it she took out a small bag.

"Is that it?"

"Yes," Porrim answered. After that she felt her head feel lighter and she hostilely asked. "How did you do that?"

Prirai laughed again and started explaining. "I am one of the only members of my caste possessing psychic abilities. Everybody is hopeless against me."

"Is that all we are going to get from here?" Ralyie asked sounding annoyed.

"There isn't anything else. We could take these clothes and sell them to the lowbloods. Many of them are dying, now that it's winter."

"Oh yes, we can make loads if we sell them for good prices." The olive troll laughed. "What about her?"

"I'll take care of her. Move back."

Ralyie did as he was told and stepped back from Porrim. Prirai took one of her daggers and put it through the jade troll's chest. Porrim fell to the ground while Prirai was cleaning her dagger with a white cloth. Porrim started coughing violently, until she finally hit the cold floor and her eyes closed.

The two other trolls ignored her as they walked around the hive taking anything that might be useful. They brought everything to the respiteblock where they put in a sacks everything they found.

They worked fast, but it took them about half an hour to get everything done. They walked out the door of the block carrying the sack not noticing that something was missing from there. They were about to leave when they saw the beast by the door.

"We're gonna have a delicious meal today." Ralyie smiled and picked it up. They were about to go out the door when a voice stopped them.

"Why don't we eat together, then?" They quickly turned around to look at another troll. It was Porrim. Except her skin was now white and glowing and her shirt was ruined by jade coloured blood.

"Didn't you say you were gonna take care of he-" Ralyie's sentence was stopped when he looked over at his partner and saw the look of pure terror on her face.

"I put the dagger through her heart. There is no way she survived that." Prirai whispered.

"Well, she fucking did." The olive troll clicked his tongue as he dropped the things he was holding and walked towards Porrim holding the scepter in his hand.

The jade troll started running and in a few seconds he was past him. Ralyie looked back and saw Porrim with her fangs in Prirai's neck. After a few seconds, she let go and the lifeless body fell to the ground.

Porrim used the back of her hand to wipe the cerulean blood off her mouth. Ralyie's eyes filled with rage as he started running fast towards Porrim. This time however, she felt her reflexes become better and stronger and she could dodge every attack from the olive blood. His moves were becoming sloppy and uncalculated.

Porrim managed to catch Ralyie's staff in her hand. He backed away. Feeling strength in her arms she snapped the hard metal in half, surprising the other troll. He started backing away from the raging jade troll in front of him. His back hit a wall and Porrim used this as an opportunity to run up to him and shove her fangs into his thick skin. The battle was lost as Ralyie lost his strength little by little.

After she was satisfied, Porrim let go of him and he fell to the floor. She sighed in relief.

She picked up both bodies and went outside. After she was far enough from her house she dropped the bodies to the ground. Not looking back, she turned around and returned to her hive. She tried her best to fix the door and climbed upstairs to the second floor.

She entered her bathroom and used the water she managed to get running to clean herself and her clothes. She put on a robe that somehow managed to survive the robberies and looked in the mirror.

She knew what happened to her. In her short time in the cave she learned of the beings called 'Rainbow Drinkers' and she knew she displayed the symptoms. Because of this, Porrim asked an elder to elaborate on how to control her powers, should they ever appear.

The jade troll took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and concentrated on what she wanted to do. She opened her eyes slowly and noticed that the glow was fainter. She kept concentrating and after a few minutes her skin was back to normal.

She walked back to her respite block and changed in some other clothes that were running around. Feeling tired she decided to get some rest and sort everything out later.

* * *

 

She woke up to the sound of something breaking so she stood up quickly looking for the intruder. Her heart almost stopped in her chest when she noticed a hole in Kankri's pupa. She left the room in a hurry and noticed how one of the vases she had in the hallway was broken.

Porrim turned left and she could see the shadow of another being at the far end.

"Who is there?" She shouted and stormed to where that person was. She stopped in her tracks when she saw a little wiggler with short nubby horns. He looked up scared at her, but in his eyes there was a glint of recognition.

Porrim couldn't believe her eyes. Kankri was sitting in front of him. He wasn't a grub anymore. He was a small troll, just like her. She smiled while looking at him, and Kankri understanding there was no threat, got up, and with slow steady steps walked towards her. He stumbled on his feet a few times but when he got to Porrim he jumped in her arms.

They returned to the respiteblock where the jade blood gave Kankri some clothes that she made a few perigees prior to his pupation. She made sure he was preoccupied in her block and she ran downstairs to take the beast she caught. She skinned it and made a small fire to cook the meat.

Porrim fed Kankri and gave him as much as he wanted to eat. After he was done he fell asleep instantly and the jade blood couldn't take her eyes of him. She started eating and after she was done she cleaned up and proceeded to keep watch over her wiggler making sure nothing would harm his sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and tell me what you think!


	5. A mother's pride

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me too long to post this short chapter. Whatever. Enjoy!!!

The dark season was almost over and the first spring was just around the corner. The green moon was rarely seen anymore and the night sky was only lit by the gentle glow of the pink moon and the millions of stars. The cold winds of the winter were beginning to stop blowing around the cold grey planet. And somewhere, in the middle of a desert no one heard about proudly stood what would soon become a great part of Alternian history.

A few days have passed since Kankri pupated and he started being more curious every day. He could walk but not very long distances and he would often trip over his own little legs. Porrim would watch him with affection every now and then and sometimes even motivate him to walk just a little further. Now was on of those moments.

"Come, Kankri, just a little bit more," Porrim smiled as she whispered those words to the wiggler in front of him. Kankri giggled and made big and sloppy steps towards Porrim.

"Come on, Kankri, just a few more steps," the jade blood was crouching to the ground holding her arms for the wiggler to jump into. "Come to your-"

Porrim stopped mid sentence. What was she to Kankri? She wasn't his lusus, and saying guardian just didn't seem right. The jade blood thought back to when she took him. He was just a mutant at first in her eyes. But the Mothergrub thought differently and that convinced her to take him. Could she name herself after the Mothergrup? Porrim wondered and her thoughts were interrupted by a small troll jumping in her arms.

"Good job, Kankri," Porrim smiled, finally deciding on a name. "Your mother is so proud of you."

Kankri giggled and looked up at her. Porrim hugged him tightly.

They spent the rest of the night eating what was left of the beast Porrim slayed, a while back. Kankri drifted off to sleep while Porrim made sure he was warm enough.

The jade blood decided that she would have to find some food before her wiggler woke up so, being as silent as she could, she put on a black cloak and walked out of her hive after locking it behind her. Kankri was a heavy sleeper and he hardly woke up after falling asleep. The nightmares wouldn't start for another few sweeps so he should be alright by himself until Porrim returned from the city.

The scorching Alternian sun was starting to be seen more and more every day, signaling the end of the dark season. She had a few hours of light in which the streets would be empty. She would be able to break into a shop and steal some food.

After a few minutes of walking the city appeared into her view. It was the first time she returned to the city since Tremok's death and she wasn't happy that she had to come back. She had no choice, though.

The sun was up into the sky when she stepped past the city gate. As Porrim predicted, the streets were empty. No ordinary troll would dare walk outside on daytime. But Porrim wasn't ordinary. Since she became a Rainbow Drinker, she was able to bear the sun even more than before.

Keeping the cloak wrapped around her body, Porrim walked trough the backstreets until she stumbled upon a small and dirty shop. Judging by the state of it, it was owned by a lowblood, therefore, no one would care if it was broken into.

The jade troll used her strength to push onto the door until the lock broke. She tried her best to not make much sound. Once inside, she took out a bag and stuffed in it anything she could find.

It appeared she wasn't silent enough, as a door burst open behind her. Porrim didn't waste any time looking and she ran past the front door, outside. She kept running, knowing that the owner wouldn't be able to follow her. Once she was past the city gates, she slowed down to catch her breath.

She walked fast and when she finally let a sigh of relief slip past her black lips, she reached the hive. She unlocked the door and went inside. She made her way upstairs and when she got close to the door of her respiteblock she heard cries coming from inside. Her heart almost leaped out of her chest as she burst the door open.

In front of her stood Kankri, looking at her with pale red tears in his eyes. The blankets that were used to keep him warm were spread across the room. Porrim didn't waste any time and ran over to the little wiggler to comfort him. 

"Don't worry, Kankri," Porrim whispered. "Your mother is here." He cried in her chest for a few minutes until he finally calmed down.

They spent a few perigees like that, with Porrim going into the city every few weeks. Kankri got used to sitting alone once in a while, but the jade troll started becoming worried about leaving.

The highbloods were becoming aware that someone was stealing from the hives and shops of lowbloods and they would soon try to find the guilty one. She already used up all the money she had and they were almost out of food. She knew she would have to leave the safety of the hive soon, but Porrim wasn't sure Kankri was ready. He didn't grow up like he was supposed to.

Normally, wigglers would start communicating a few weeks after pupation. Their brains develop really fast after they are taken in by a lusus and they can understand and talk to their guardian. Later they learn to use words and communicate with other trolls as well. Porrim guessed that since she wasn't a lusus he would start speaking their language from the start. Apparently she was wrong. Even so she talked to him a lot and she knew Kankri understood her.

It was the middle of the second summer when Porrim saw some silhouettes in the distance. She knew exactly where they were heading. That's when she packed as much food and clothes as she could fit in a bag, took Kankri in her arms and left the hive for good. She walked through the cold sand until she got to the old tree where her moirail was buried. The small wiggler was startled by the sudden movement but he didn't complain, probably understanding that the situation was serious. 

Porrim put Kankri down and let him play in the sand while she looked around to make sure there was no danger. That's when, in the distance, coming from the direction of her hive a big light appeared. The jade troll knew immediately what it had happened. Those that came to look for the thief didn't even bother to look inside. They just set the hive on fire. Porrim was so glad she was able to escape and save Kankri. 

She turned around and held the wiggler in her arms, to comfort him... or maybe herself. She didn't let herself cry any longer, but Kankri must have known Porrim wasn't well. 

"Mother," came a whisper and Porrim looked down at the wiggler. She smiled at him and answered.

"Don't worry, Kankri. I will not let anything harm you. You are the only thing I have left." Porrim looked at Kankri with love. He finally said something and it was her name. The young mother was so proud of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Leave a comment and tell me what you think!


	6. A special troll

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know not much is happening in this chapter but we'll meet someone new in the next one.

Porrim turned to look one last time in the direction of her hive. The flames weren't so big anymore, but they were still burning with no signs of dying out soon. 

The jade blood took her bag and took out every single winter coat that she managed to stuff in there. Knowing she wouldn't need them anytime soon, she took a needle and some string and started sewing each piece of cloth together. By the time she was done, the Alternian sun was peeking from beyond the horizon. In front of her stood a large, thick piece of cloth that she wanted to use to make a small tent for Kankri to sleep in, to protect him from the sun. The only problem is she didn't have anything to raise it with. 

She decided to use a tree branch as a support. Porrim started climbing the old tree that has watched over her for many years. Once she found a sturdy branch she snapped it off and was about to climb down. 

Kankri, who for the first time has seen the bright light of the sun started jumping and pointing at it while shouting the word he has recently learned. 

"Mother, mother, mother," the wiggler kept shouting.

"Yes, Kankri, that's the sun," answered Porrim softly. 

"Sun?" asked Kankri.

"Yes," continued Porrim. Kankri then proceeded to jump up and down while shouting. 

"Sun, sun, sun!"

His mother finally managed to finish the tent and she was quite proud of her creation. She went over to pick Kankri up and put him to sleep. He didn't understand why he couldn't ponder of his new discovery but when his head lay down on the soft improvised bed that his mother made, he fell asleep instantly. Porrim smiled at him and lay down herself for some much needed rest.

Next evening, Porrim packed everything up, took Kankri's hand and they set off for a long journey. The little wiggler would get tired easily and the mother would have to carry him most of the way. They slept during the day and walked during the night, and slowly the desert turned into plains and after days of walking, in the distance they could see a gigantic forest. 

Kankri was sleeping in her arms, when they reached the rich, green trees. Porrim found a small river near which a giant tree was resting and she decided to wake up Kankri. During their journey he learned even more words and including the word "what". So whenever he found something interesting he would point at it and shout at the top of his lungs so that his mother would explain to him what he was seeing.  

This time was no different. But before he could alert every creature around them, Porrim showed him everything that was around them and put him to sleep again as the sun rose. The jade blood also went to sleep outside the improvised tent. 

The sun rays were making their way from between the leaves. Their warmth was caressing the hard earth and their light was reflecting off the river waves. The young mother sleeping was awoken suddenly by footsteps that were heard around them.

She jumped to her feet and looked around the find the source of the noise. On the other side of the river, an antlered hoofbeast was drinking peacefully from the cold water. Seeing as their provisions were almost finished Porrim decided to use this opportunity. She walked silently, crossed the river and without disturbing the beast she managed to get behind it. 

Her skin had turned white by the time she sneaked around the beast. Without hesitation she jumped and thrust her fangs into the animal's neck. It stopped struggling after a few minutes and Porrim crossed the river to get back to her tent. 

She took a knife and then started to skin the beast. By the time she was done, she had raw meat and animal hide that would definitely be useful for the winter that would arrive.

The sun was setting when Kankri finally woke up again. As he exited the tent he came face to face with his mother who was cooking the new acquired meat over a small improvised fire. Porrim took Kankri in her lap and sat him down between her legs. As the sun was setting, guardian and wiggler sat by the fire enjoying the silence.

When the meat was cooked Porrim gave Kankri a small piece so he could calm his hunger. The jade blood was not hungry seeing as she drank the creature's blood a while earlier. By the time Kankri was done the pink moon was high into the sky. 

They spent almost a sweep like this, hiding in the forest, with no one bothering them. The winter was the hardest without much food, but with Porrim starving herself sometimes, Kankri didn't feel lack of anything. 

He was 1 sweep old and all he did all day was talk. About something he heard moving in the forest that he didn't know what it was, about how he was learning to differentiate tree leaves or about that new toy that his mother made for him that he absolutely loved. But even so, Porrim wouldn't have him any other way, and she would always listen to what he had to say. 

Porrim was cleaning up the remains of the beast they have been eating for a few days when Kankri's voice interrupted her work. 

"Mother, look," shouted the wiggler, while pointing upwards, "the stars are so beautiful." 

Porrim looked up at the sky and smiled. She left her work and went to sit down near the young troll. She picked him up, making him laugh. She dropped him on her lap with his head resting on her chest. 

"Can you see the constellations, Kankri?" 

"What are those?" asked the ever curious boy.

"The stars, if looked at correctly, form a shape," explained Porrim. "There are hundreds of them. And that's where we get our signs from. Every troll has their own signs, so it can help them on their path."

Kankri turned his head and looked at the Virgo symbol on Porrim's chest. She only then realized what she said to her son. 

"Why don't I have one?"

"Because... You're special," Porrim whispered.

"Special, how?"

"You are different from everyone else in this world. From the way you live to the very colour of your blood. You see, Kankri, I didn't want to tell you this before, but you are not having the life you should." 

Porrim was hesitant to tell him about who he is, but she knew Kankri, as young as he was, he was also smart, and he understood things, wigglers his age wouldn't.

"Normally, every wiggler until a certain point in their life would have a lusus. A lusus is a beautiful and strong creature that acts as a guardian for the young troll," Porrim explained.

"Like you?" asked Kankri, earning a small chuckle in response.

"No, I am not a lusus. Unfortunately, because of the color of your blood no lusus would take you. That's why, I did. Even though, it went against the rules."

"Is that why we're hiding? Or why you sleep with a knife beside you?"

Porrim widened her eyes. He had no idea Kankri knew about that. 

"Yes, that's right. But that's enough for tonight. When you grow older, I will tell you more."

Kankri pouted but listened to what his guardian said. They spent the rest of the night, watching the stars and trying to make out constellations. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and tell me what you think! :)


	7. A saved life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, then, chapter 7. Enjoy!!!

And like this, days and perigees and seasons passed. Until the harsh winter and the spring returned. And everything was the same as it always was. The young troll and his guardian, living in a forest, away from anyone of the outside world.

And somewhere, a few kilometers away from their camp there was a small town. Smaller than the one Porrim has known while growing up. She had visited the place a few times, doing labors in order to get some money. She used the money to buy Kankri some things that couldn't be acquired in a forest. At the moment, the wiggler was reading a book. Porrim has taught him how to read a while back and that was the only thing he has wanted to do since. The mother knew this would happen. Kankri was always fascinated about learning new things and books, even fictional stories, were a great way of learning.

The two of them were enjoying the cool evening when they heard a twig snap behind them. Porrim jumped to her feet, her skin starting to glow white. 

"Stay behind me, Kankri," the rainbow drinker ordered and the young troll complied. 

Porrim could make out a figure running towards them from the darkness of the trees. She took a defensive stance and prepared herself for the attacker. From between the trees a small figure appeared. Upon looking closer, Kankri realized it was just a wiggler, maybe a bit older than himself. She had long, tangled hair who was full of dried leaves. Her horns were short and pointy, somehow resembling cat ears. She was covered in olive blood and her body was only sheltered by an animal fur. When she reached the fire, she collapsed to the ground. 

"Stay here," Porrim said to the little troll beside her. 

She ran towards the girl and crouched down to have a better look at her. 

"Please...," she said, her voice hoarse, "help me."

After that, the girl closed her eyes and Porrim could tell she fell unconscious. The rainbow drinker reverted back to her gray skin and took the girl in her arms. She proceeded to walk to the other side of the river when Kankri shouted out to her.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm getting her as far away from here as possible," answered Porrim, not stopping. 

"She's hurt, mother. She needs help," Kankri said as he followed her.

"I told you to stay where you are, Kankri," said Porrim sternly. "I will be back soon."

"No!" shouted Kankri. "She could die if we don't help her."

"We don't know anything about her and that makes her dangerous. Now stay here until I return and no more arguments! I know what's best."

"Letting her die is best? If we do this we are no better than those bad trolls you keep telling me about." Kankri reached his mother's side and looked up at her with big eyes. Porrim sighed and turned around but this time she calmly explained.

"I can't risk putting you in danger. Who knows what she'll do when she wakes up."

"She is hurt and you are very strong. Please, mother. I won't ask for anything else, I promise. Let's help her."

Porrim, somehow convinced, hesitantly returned to the campfire with Kankri on her heels. She put down the mysterious girl and after looking around for a clean cloth, she dipped it in the river water. She spent the next few minutes cleaning the wounds of the girl while the other wiggler was curiously looking over her shoulder. 

After the white cloth turned green and the wounds were treated, Porrim covered the girl's body with a blanket and left her to rest. 

For 2 days she kept sleeping. Kankri was really worried about her and wouldn't leave her side. When she finally stirred, Kankri quickly alerted his mother. Porrim came running and fell down on her knees near the girl. 

When she opened her eyes, Porrim pushed Kankri away from her. He didn't protest. It took a little for the girl to fully realize where she was. She quickly backed away, scared, after noticing the unfamiliar faces in front of her.

"What is your name?" asked Porrim, not moving her gaze from her. 

"Who are you? What did you do to me?" She was obviously scared but she tried not to show it. 

"You don't have to be scared. We took care of you. We won't hurt you," said Kankri while stepping in front of her mother. But, before he could get any closer to the girl Porrim put a hand on his shoulder, signaling him to stop.

"Don't worry, mother. She won't hurt me," Kankri said while he moved away from the safety of his guardian's strength.

"My name is Kankri," he said as he extended his hand for the girl to take.

"Meulin...," the girl whispered while taking his hand and getting up from the ground. 

Porrim stepped forward between the two wigglers. She, once again, put a hand on Kankri's shoulder before pushing him back a little.

"What happened to you? Why were you hurt like that? Was anyone following you?" Kankri was about to say something but his mother looked at him sternly. He didn't dare open his mouth after that.

"No one followed me," Meulin said keeping her gaze lowered. "And... before I came here..." Her voice cracked signaling that tears might be following soon, but they didn't.

"My lusus was culled," she finally said letting out a shaky breath. "We didn't do anything, I swear. My hive was in a cave. We lived there, not bothering anyone," she stopped to catch her breath and then continued. "And these highbloods came out of nowhere. They demanded food and we had no choice but to give it to them. Then... after they ate, I had to watch as one of them pulled out a knife and stabbed my lusus. I asked them why they did it. They said they wanted the cave for the day. After, they beat me until they thought I was dead. I managed to sneak away while they were sleeping."

"Was your hive far from here?" Porrim asked, not sparring the girl. 

"Yes... I walked a lot to get here. I wanted to be as far away from them as possible."

"Mother, please stop. You are making her uncomfortable," intervened Kankri. "Are you hungry?"

Meulin didn't answer but she looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"Come, we have some leftovers, Kankri said as he reached a hand out to her, waiting patiently for her to take it. Once she did, the boy led Meulin to the warmth of the fire.

Porrim watched helplessly knowing she had nothing on the girl. Not wanting to leave them alone, she followed and sat down beside the two wigglers. 

It was obvious that Meulin was hungry, but she ate slowly and shyly from the pieces of meat that were given to her. She refused when she was offered more and after drinking some water, Kankri advised her to get some rest, while promising her safety. She seemed reluctant to go to sleep with strangers around her but the exhaustion was greater than her doubt. She fell asleep by the fire, under the same blanket that has sheltered her for two days.

The other two stayed in silence watching the dance of the flames, until Porrim spoke.

"You did a good thing, Kankri."

"I did?" he asked, looking puzzled.

"You saved a life," Porrim explained, smiling at him.

"But you were the one who treated her," he said. 

"If you didn't convince me to, she would have most likely died. It's you who saved her. I am proud of you."

"You seemed angry," Kankri continued, turning his head away from her.

"I was angry because you disobeyed me and put yourself in danger," the mother explained.

"I wasn't in danger. She would-" 

"Not this time," Porrim interrupted. "But who knows what could have happened. You have to promise me, Kankri, that you will listen to what I say from now on, alright? I want what's best for you. And no matter what I ask you to do, you have to do it. Please, promise me," said Porrim gently. 

Kankri hesitated but he eventually answered, "I promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and tell me what you think!


	8. A welcomed gratitude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for 100 hits! Anyway, chapter 8. Enjoy!!!

The next day, Meulin woke up and after Porrim looked at her wounds, the group had another meal. Shortly after, the jade blood left hunting and like usual she instructed Kankri about what to do if something happened. 

The evening was warm and humid. Kankri sat down by the river to enjoy the nature, when Meulin came to sit besides him. They stayed in silence until Meulin, spoke.

"So, what happened to you?" she asked turning her head towards him. "I told you my story, will you tell me yours?"

"My story... is a bit complicated," said Kankri not taking his eyes from the river's waves. "What do you want to know?"

"Well, for starters, what is your caste? Porrim is a jade blood, right? I heard they lived underground so I thought she is a runaway. But what about you? And how did you two meet?" She meant her questions to be innocent but she obviously upset Kankri, putting a frown on his face. Meulin didn't notice and kept staring at him expectedly.

"She is a runaway  _because_ we met," explained Kankri. "Also, why does my caste matter?" 

Kankri starting rubbing his elbow, looking a bit distraught. Meulin took notice of this and she took his hand in hers. She gasped a little at what she saw on his arm. He had a small scar from a scratch he got a while back. Kankri didn't turn to look at her and only spoke after she did.

"You are a-"

"Mutant," Kankri finished for her. He looked down refusing to meet her gaze. "Mother said I am special. When I asked her more she didn't want to tell me. I read about castes and mutations in a book she got me and now I know why. I am not special, I am just a freak."

"No, that's not true!" quickly intervened Meulin. "You are special. You saved my life. No other person would have done that, yet you did."

"So what?" asked Kankri finally meeting her gaze. "You thinking that doesn't change the color of my blood."

"I am not the only one thinking that. Porrim put herself in danger to save you. She saw something in you that no one else did," Meulin said, squeezing his hand.

Kankri smiled softly at this, "You might be right. I just have to live up to that, now."

Meulin returned his smile and they sat in silence for the next few minutes. It was all new to Kankri, interacting with trolls other than his mother. And even though he barely knew her, he felt safe with Meulin. Like they already spent so much time together. even though it has only been a few hours.

"What are you going to do?" asked Kankri out of the blue.

"What do you mean?" asked Meulin turning his gaze towards him.

"Well, you don't have your lusus anymore, do you? After you heal, what will you do? Where will you go?" explained Kankri.

"I... haven't thought about that, yet."

"Why don't you stay with us?" proposed Kankri.

"What?" asked Meulin confused. 

"The only problem is mother won't agree to it at first, but she'll come around. You are a nice troll, not like the kind she tells me about. I know she knows that, too but she doesn't want me in danger. Even so, I will convince her, don't worry," said Kankri while showing a bright smile.

Meulin didn't say anything and just stared at him for a few seconds. She then broke into a grin. "Thank you so much!" she exclaimed while tackling Kankri to the ground so she could hug him. "Sorry!" she said between giggles, followed by Kankri's own cheery laugh. The sounds of the glee echoed through the trees making everything seem just a little bit bettet.

A few days have passed and Porrim finally returned to the wigglers carrying a beast on her back. They were all sitting down by the fire, chatting and waiting for the meat to roast when Kankri brought up the subject he has been looking forward to discussing. 

"Mother, I wanted to ask you something..."

"Yes, Kanny, dear, what is it?" Porrim moved her gaze from the fire to the boy and noticed how nervous he was. She furrowed her eyebrows at this, but kept silent as she waited for him to speak. Kankri smiled a little at the used nickname and continued.

"You know how Meulin doesn't have anywhere to go, right?" Porrim only nodded her head.

"Well, I thought maybe she could stay with us," said Kankri closing his eyes not wishing to see his mother's reaction.

Porrim sighed, "I knew you would be proposing this and I have thought about it." 

"Really?" Both kids' faces lit up after hearing this.

"But, food might be a problem," said Porrim and she was quickly interrupted. 

"I'm a hunter! I can kill gigantic beasts with my bare hands. I can help with food," Meulin said, a little too eagerly. 

"Well then, it's decided," said Porrim with a smile, "you can stay, Meulin."

The kids squealed in excitement and both jumped to hug Porrim tightly. They spent the rest of the night eating and laughing without a care. 

The next day, Porrim decided to run into the small town at the outskirts of the forest for reasons she refused to mention so the wigglers were left alone for a little while. When she returned , she brought in her bag a long black fabric. Without saying a word she sat down and started sewing using olive string.

The kids watched curiously but they didn't interrupt her. Once she was done she turned over to Meulin.

"What is your sign?" she asked her.

Meulin picked up a stick and made a drawing on the ground. She started by making a small circle and finishing it with a loop.

"It's called Leo," she said while Porrim picked up her needle and string and started remaking the symbol on the shirt she was holding. It took her a while but when she was done, the mother was greatly pleased with her creation.

"Change into this," she told the girl.

Meulin took off her fur and handed it to Porrim. She put on the clothes and they fit her perfectly. She was surprised seeing as the jade troll has never taken her measurements. The girl realized Porrim had an affinity for this kind of thing. 

The clothes made for her a bit tight but they were not limiting her movement. There were no overflowing parts unlike Porrim's dress and Meulin realized that it was because during hunting that would be a nuisance.

"Thank you," she said, genuinely smiling at the mother while feeling gratitude for everything that was done. The smile was returned and no other words were spoken that night, between the two.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and tell me what you think!


	9. A fateful decision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 9. Enjoy!!!

Some time passed again until the harsh winter started. The three trolls lived happily in the middle of the woods. Porrim started warming up to Meulin and the two became closer, but not as close as Meulin and Kankri were. 

Ever since she was allowed to stay Kankri didn't spend any time alone anymore and was having fun every day. Porrim would often hear giggles around their small camp and she was glad that her wiggler was so happy. And even though she had to leave a lot of times to get food, she knew that Kankri would not be lonely.

Even so the winter was hard, as always and in the middle of the forest things were not any easier. Most animals were hibernating or hiding during the winter. That's why Porrim would be gone for long periods of time and she even had to go into the city a few times to work and earn some money for food. The kids would help, too. Meulin taught Kankri to fish using makeshift spears, but even like this, it was hardly enough to keep 3 trolls fed. They had no choice other than to bear the cold and hunger.

Another problem for the wigglers were the nightmares. Meulin has recently started having bad dreams which didn't allow her to sleep properly. She would often wake up in cold sweat with terrible images in her mind. Kankri would comfort her when this happened, but it wouldn't be long before he started having nightmares, too.

It was one of the rare days when Porrim was around. They all slept by the fire, wrapped in thick blankets as to escape the cold. For a while only the crackling of the fire could be heard, until small whimpers made their way through the darkness.

Meulin opened her tired eyes and scanned the area. She was awoken by the cries. Her gaze landed on her best friend. Bright red tears were falling down his grey cheeks. In the blink of an eye she was by his side. He continued crying with no signs of stopping so Meulin did the only thing she could think of. She put her hand on his shoulder and slowly shook him.

"Wake up, Kankri," she whispered his way.

The other wiggler's eyes shot open. He seemed terrified. Kankri looked up at Meulin at first, seemingly lost and scared. When he realized he was safe he allowed himself to be pulled into a tight embrace, which he returned.

"Did you have a bad dream?" she asked softly in his ear. He only nodded his head without saying anything.

The sudden movement alerted the sleeping mother and she woke up to see her wigglers hugging by the fire.

"What happened?" she asked after noticing the concerned look on Meulin's face. 

Kankri didn't answer. He just broke away from the hug and went to search the warmth of his mother's chest. She hugged him tight understanding what it had happened. No one slept afterwards, but no on said anything either. They knew nothing anyone would say could comfort the troubled individual. When it was time for a meal, Porrim took the leftover fish and started cooking it over the fire.

"Don't you want to talk about it? It helped me. It might help you too," Meulin suggested.

Kankri closed his eyes and in his mind appeared the terrible images that he had dreamed of. Terrible violence that he had never seen in his life. Ugly things happening to him and Meulin and his mother and other trolls that he never even met. And the sadness and anger he felt over it all. 

"I... had nightmares before, but not like this," Kankri admitted. "I don't want to talk about it." And Meulin didn't push anymore.

They ate in silence and seeing as their provisions were running low, Porrim had no choice but to leave again. She said goodbye to the kids with unshed tears in her eyes. She didn't want to leave Kankri alone during these hard time for him, but starvation was a bigger problem than troubled sleep. She left Meulin a protective look. The young troll knew what it meant and she would have done it even without Porrim reminding her. She had to find a way to cheer Kankri up.

After the mother left, Meulin went to the tent to look for something. After she found what she was looking for she walked over to where Kankri was. He was sitting down by the river, using his yellow nails to leave markings on the wet earth. She sat down near him and opened the book in her hands.

"Once, a troll lived in the forest far away from the rest..." she started reading. Kankri turned his head and looked at her in confusion.

"He lost his lusus when he was very young and he suffered a lot, that's why he decided to help those that also suffered like he did. With his group of rogues he would often steal from the highbloods and in secrecy gifted the stolen goods to the lowbloods so they could live a better life."

"What are you doing?" asked Kankri interrupting her.

"I am reading," answered Meulin taking his eyes from the pages.

"I can see that. Why are you reading?"

"To cheer you up. You love stories." Meulin smiled hoping that it would be mirrored. Unfortunately, it wasn't.

"I read this story so many times. I'm bored of it. Tell me something else," Kankri said.

"Well," Meulin said as she closed the book, "what do you want to hear about?"

"The world. Other trolls and how they live. Mother doesn't like me asking her so I don't, but you..." said Kanrki feeling unsure.

"There is not much I can tell you. I didn't see much of it, either," Meulin answered.

"Will you tell me about that town, near the forest?" requested Kankri, his eyes lighting up.

"It wasn't as awesome as you are imagining it. There were lots of trolls everywhere. There were big buildings and hives and everyone seemed to know each other. But the atmosphere was full of fear, the streets were dirty with trash and the stench of blood was in the air. The only ones without a care were the highbloods, but everyone feared them," explained Meulin.

She let her gaze fall to the ground. She was startled when Kankri's voice was heard loud, not like before, "Let's got there!"

The girl widened her eyes. "What? We can't!" she shouted.

"Why not? We can go now and we'll be back before mother returns. She doesn't even have to know that we left."

"We shouldn't, Kankri. Why don't we wait for Porrim to return. We can tell her about this and she might take us. But we shouldn't go on our own," Meulin suggested trying to make Kankri change his mind. 

He seemed to consider it and when he realized Meulin didn't want to go he decided he wouldn't either. If they split up, something bad could happen and he didn't want to risk it. He nodded his head letting Meulin know his decision. She let out a sigh of relief and smiled at him.

Porrim returned a few days later, with a little bit of fruit and some meat. They were eating when Meulin started speaking.

"We want to see the town..." she said quietly. 

Porrim stopped eating and looked at the two kids in confusion like trying to understand what Meulin meant.

"Absolutely not," she said forcefully trying to close the subject.

"Why not? I want to see other trolls. I want to see how a town looks like. This small place in the forest is the only thing I have ever seen," Kankri said in an attempt to convince his mother.

"It's too dangerous. Especially in the winter. We will talk about this again when you are older."

"Then let's go during the bright season. Then we will be older and it won't be winter," explained Kankri, earning a small giggle from Meulin.

"I suppose you are right..." admitted Porrim, "but until then, we won't speak of this again, alright?" Kankri only nodded his head feeling lucky that he got this much. He loved his mother but sometimes he thought that her being so protective was a bit tiring.

"How are you feeling, dear? Were you able to sleep?" Porrim changed the subject along with the tone in her voice.

"I'm not so well, but I will manage. I've got you and Meulin to help me." The wiggler smiled and took a big bite from a fruit enjoying the sweetness.

And as they spent the evening together, Kankri regretted ever suggesting to leave without his mother. He realized that she indeed knows what's best and that Meulin was right. It was better if they were together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and tell me what you think! :)


	10. A fatal mistake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 10. Enjoy!!!

Somehow, after a lot of hardships the winter passed. The spring was like a break from everything as the cold air disappeared and was replaced by the beautiful atmosphere of rebirth. And when summer came, both of the wigglers were excited for the journey that might follow.

"Mother," came Kankri's voice, attracting the older troll's attention.

"Yes?"

"Remember when you said that when the summer came we will talk about going into the town?"

"I do," said Porrim letting out a sigh.

"Well? What do you say?"

"Alright fine," said Porrim as the kids jumped and shouted in glee, "but you have to do as I say, at all times. You will not leave my side. And if I tell you to do something you do it without arguments. I tell you to run, you run. I tell you to stay put, you stay put. Is that clear?"

The children looked up at her and nodded their heads. "Very," they said in unison.

The next evening, the three trolls put on black cloaks to hide their face and bodies and they set out for the small town. The walk was long but not tiring. The wigglers chatted in excited whispers while Porrim kept an eye out for anything suspicious. When they started hearing the buzzing noise of the town, the mother stopped the two kids and warned them to keep their promise. 

"When we get in the crowd, walk a few steps in front of me so it will look less suspicious," she instructed them.

The two did as they were told and made a small distance between them but not enough to get lost. Around them trolls of all castes were running errands or just taking a stroll. They were taking in everything around them, making sure to remember any details seeing as they might not return anytime soon.

"There are so many trolls here," exclaimed Kankri. Meulin only hummed in agreement being happy to be between people again. Porrim watched them lovingly understanding their excitement.

As they were walking, a troll, different from the rest, approached them. The children didn't notice him and he just passed them without paying any attention but Porrim wasn't so lucky.

"Stop," he ordered while facing her. She complied. "Turn around."

Kankri turned to look at him and noticed the expensive clothes he was wearing. On his shirt, in purple, Caprist- The sign of the Audacious was sewn. His hair was a curly mess and his face paint wasn't taken care of. His horns were long and wobbly and his voice was deep and hoarse.

"Take off you your cloak! Do I have to tell you everything?" he growled, clearly annoyed. Porrim did as she was told but she kept her head lowered trying to hide her face.

"Who are you? I run this town, did you think I wouldn't notice a stranger?" he asked while examining her features. "What is your caste?"

Porrim didn't answer and only stayed silent. People started crowding around them wishing to see what would happen to the the stranger.

"Why are you making everything hard for me?" the highblood shouted, his voice resonating through the air.

"Kankri, stay where you are," the mother requested right before she was hit hard across the cheek causing jade blood to rush to her face. Kankri screamed but he was held back by Meulin.

"Jade? An auxiliatrice, huh? I think you are the same one who ran away a while back, aren't you?" The highblood laughed while looking at Porrim. "You gave us a terrible headache, you know? Everyone talking about the auxiliatrice who was just too fed up to do her job, eh?" A sick grin appeared on his face and he kept speaking in a mocking tone.

"And they made us,  _us_ to look for you. Where have you been hiding?" He suddenly turned serious and looked at her expecting an answer. "Well? Answer me!"

The crown flinched at his powerful voice but Porrim didn't react. She took a step back as her skin turned white and she swung her arm back. She moved fast and punched the highblood in the face. He fell to the ground, shocked by the sudden movement. In those few seconds, Porrim turned around, picked up the two kids in her arms and started running. She bumped in some of the people of the crowd but she didn't stop. She only slowed down to turn right or left once in a while trying to lose the trolls that were most likely chasing them.

After running for what seemed like an eternity, they reached a small backstreet full of trash cans. Porrim stopped and crammed herself and the children in one of them. She tried her best to even her breath, before she spoke.

"I think we are safe here for the time being. We'll wait for a little while and see what they are going to do."

"Mother, what is going to happen?" whispered Kankri, gazing at her with a worried look on his face.

"I don't know," Porrim answered truthfully. "But we'll be fine, don't worry." She tried to smile to prove to them that everything will turn out alright.

"Where are they?" A voice was heard nearby.

"Forget it! We got orders to guard the exit. We'll wait for the drones to arrive," said another one.

"They are bringing drones for this? It's just a woman and two wigglers."

"Well, this jade blood ran away so who knows what she might be up to. Whatever it is we can't let it go on." The voices got farther and farther away, until Porrim couldn't understand what they were saying anymore. She also didn't know why her running away was such a big deal to the highbloods. It's true that no one attempted to do what she did and if they tried they would be stopped soon after. Even so, she thought that after all this time they would have forgotten about her running away but apparently they were determined to stop her.

"Alright, we'll hide here until sunrise. It appears they aren't looking for us anymore. With the light on our side we might be able to make it against only drones," explained Porrim after making up the plan.

"I'm sorry, Mother. It's my fault this happened," Kankri said, lowering his head in shame.

"Shh, don't worry, Kanny. It's not your fault. Besides, we will be fine," Porrim promised with a smile.

* * *

 

They sat huddled together looking out for any movement. After a few hours light started to peek inside their hideout. Soon, the only sound heard around the town was the moving of the drones.

Porrim was the first to get up. She told the kids to stay in place while she looked around the place. She noticed a path that they could take that would lead them to some farmlands and from there it was a straight way to the forest and shelter. 

She returned to the two trolls and told them it was clear to come out. When they did, she put the cloaks above their eyes with caution to make sure that the deadly rays of the sun would not hurt them.

"Whatever you do, don't take off your cloak. And don't look at the sky no matter what happens."

The kids nodded in response. Porrim picked up the both of them and they put their heads on her shoulders to block out the light. She began walking silently through the backstreets following the route that she discovered. However, as she was about to turn the corner, the path was blocked by a drone. She quickly turned around trying to find another way.

Unfortunately, the jade blood wasn't as lucky as she had hopes seeing as the drone noticed her. She broke into a sprint but the drone started catching up to her, regardless. She was able to reach the farmlands but the forest was still far away. The drone alerted two other as Porrim looked back and realized they might not make it.

That was her mistake. Not being careful enough, she tripped over her own legs and hit the ground. The kids fell with her. The forest was now about 20 meters in front of them and with a few more steps they would have made it.

"Don't look up," Porrim shouted to the kids. "Go into the forest!"

Meulin did so without a second thought, thinking that her friend was right behind her. When she was  finally shielded by the leaves of the trees she allowed her gaze to look at the scene. Kankri hasn't moved yet. One of the drones prepared to attack him but Porrim charged at it trying to immobilize it. Kankri raised his gaze and screamed when his mother was thrown to the ground with force.

"Mother!" He stood up and unwillingly raised his eyes to the rising sun. A sharp, stinging pain passed through his skull as the scorching Alternian sun met his eyes. He fell down, clutching his head in pain. Porrim looked over at him and terrible images filled her mind. The moment she held Tremok's dying body in her arms, the blood on her hands, his last words and the grief she felt after his death. Without hesitation, she jumped at the drone that was preparing to attack Kankri once again. She ripped it to pieces in rage, winning a little bit of time.

"Meulin!" she shouted. "Take Kankri and run! I'll be right there!"

Meulin covered her eyes and ran from the shade of the forest towards her friend. She noticed a bright red substance on his cheeks but she had to ignore it for the time being. She grabbed Kankri's arm and pulled him to the direction she came from.

"No... wait," Kankri whispered through groans of pain but Meulin didn't stop to listen. When they were safely between the trees, she looked back one last time, seeing Porrim fighting a drone while two more were approaching. Keeping the tears from falling, she ran away dragging Kankri behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and tell me what you think! :D


	11. An unexpected meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter. Enjoy!

The two kids kept running until they were out of breath. Meulin led the way and after the exhausting trip, they were back at their small camp. The girl made sure they were not followed several times so she knew they were safe. But the camp wasn't.  It was a mess: their tent was ripped to pieces, objects was stolen and the few books they had turned to ashes. 

It didn't matter. They were not going to stay for long. Just enough for Meulin to bandage Kankri and for them to rest a little and they would leave shortly after. Meulin walked towards the small fire that was still burning from the books and put Kankri down near it. Somewhere along the way Kankri passed out from pain and exhaustion and Meulin had to carry him. 

The girl put a hand on his friend's forehead and frowned when she realized how warm it was. She looked around for a clean piece of fabric, before she ran towards the river to soak it in the cool water. She got rid of the excess, before she returned to Kankri to put it on his heated forehead.

Once in a while she would refresh the cloth, and after some time Kankri's fever went down. Meulin was up until sundown taking care of Kankri, but after he started feeling better Meulin decided to rest a little bit. 

She woke up, when she felt stirring near her. She looked at Kankri and smiled when he opened his eyes. Her smile, however,  was replaced by a frown when she noticed that his eyes were bright red. His pupils disappeared and his retinas were red.

Kankri stood up and looked around. 

"I..." he whispered, "I can't see." 

Meulin widened her eyes at the statement and moved closer to him.

"What do you mean?" she asked in disbelief and Kankri flinched when he heard her voice near him.

"I can't see," he repeated while turning to look her way. "Everything is white. After you spoke, I could tell where you were, but I can't see you. And I can't make out details at all."

Kankri got to his feet and made a few steps towards the river. He only had the quiet flowing sound of it to guide him. He dipped his hands and splashed the freezing cold water on his face. He stood without moving, his eyes directed towards the river. Meulin sat down near him, but didn't say anything so Kankri could gather his thoughts.

"We should wait a bit before making assumptions," said Meulin in the end, startling her friend. "Let me bandage you and wait for it to heal. I'm sure it's just temporary."

Kankri only nodded his head and turned around so that Meulin could reach him. She found some bandages and started wrapping him up. After a few minutes, she was done.

"Thanks," Kankri said.

"No problem," Meulin replied with a bright smile before pulling him into a hug. He hesitantly returned it before whispering something towards her.

"Where is mother?"

"She will be here soon," Meulin answered. "She told me to leave with you, but she promised she will be back."

"Why did you let her get left behind?" Kankri asked with a hint of anger in his voice, after pushing the girl away from him.

"I had no choice, Kankri. We promised we would do whatever she told us to, right?"

The boy lowered his head and Meulin noticed some red tears soaking his bandages.

"Hey, why are you crying? I'm sure she is fine."

"It's all my fault," Kankri said. "If I wasn't so stubborn, mother would be here. I would be able to see..."

"Porrim will be here. And you will heal, okay?"

Kankri nodded his head weakly and didn't say anything else. For a while, they just waited in silence, until the sound of footsteps was heard somewhere behind them. Meulin jumped to her feet and turned to face the approaching being with a growl.

From between the woods came out another troll and being carried on his shoulder was Porrim. The troll was fairly tall, wearing a dark green coat. In black was showcased his sign, Lenius. His horns were short and thin, curled outwards. His eyes were covered by a pair of yellow glasses and on his hip he was wearing a sickle. 

"Who are you? Stay back!" Meulin shouted. 

He stopped in his tracks and dropped Porrim to the ground.

"What was that sound?" Kankri asked.

The stranger clicked his tongue and spoke. "One auxiliatrix and two wigglers... Why do we gotta do this? Next time they are gonna make us burn down hives for no reason, aren't they?"

He glanced at Meulin, who didn't know if it was wise to attack, and pointed at Porrim. "You better patch her up or she won't make it."

Meulin furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Are you helping us?"

"Apparently, yes," said the stranger, nonchalantly. 

"Why?" asked Kankri.

"Because it's stupid." His voice was irritated. "I don't see the point of this. She didn't like her job. So what? And you two. I don't know what your deal is, but you're just kids and shouldn't get involved in this kind of stuff. Speaking of which, how did you get hurt?"

"I accidentally looked at the sun and I can't see, right now. But I'll be fine," Kankri explained.

"Lemme look," said the troll, but Meulin moved to take a step forward. "Don't worry, if I wanted to harm you, I would've done it by now."

The troll approached Kankri and took off his bandages. Once he opened his eyes, the stranger let out a sigh. "It's no good. You won't be able to see again, kid."

"What?" Kankri breathed out.

"I'm sorry." The troll moved back. "You better leave as soon as possible. You had a nice place here, protected by the river and mountains. And these forests are rarely traveled. Too bad you lost it. They know where this place is, so you hurry up now."

He turned around to leave, but was stopped by Kankri's voice.

"Wait! Thanks for your help. I'm Kankri, what's your name?"

"Kid, I can't tell you my name, seeing as I broke about a dozen rules by helping you. I don't wanna get culled. But these days, some call me the Restless. I advise that you don't say your name so carelessly, either. If you know what's good for you."

The Restless prepared to leave again, but he turned to look one last time at the kids. He took his sickle and approached Kankri again. Before Meulin could jump on him for attempting to attack his friend, the troll threw the sickle at the boy's feet.

"Take it. Learn how to use it, and stay safe. I really hope, Kankri, that the two of us won't meet again. "

And with that, he disappeared between the trees. Kankri let his fingers brush the ground until he found the object. He picked it up and examined the carved features of the handle, muttering a silent "Thank you" while Meulin started tending to his mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Review is appreciated! :D


	12. A new kind of dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another chapter. Enjoy!!!

Kankri put the sickle away and moved towards the sound of shuffling. He decided he wouldn't grieve the loss of his sight because it was no one's fault but his. He had to learn how to take care of himself without seeing. Even though, it might be hard at first, he had no choice if he wanted to keep going. 

He raised his hand until it reached warmth. He searched for his mother's face and softly caressed it, while somehow feeling under his fingers every small scratch and fiber of dirt. 

"She will be fine, Kankri," Meulin reassured and Kankri nodded in affirmation. He knew she was going to be just fine. His mother was really strong. 

Kankri felt a warm hand brush his and realized Meulin was trying to wash Porrim's face. He reached to take the wet cloth from her hands.

"Let me," he said. The girl hesitated, but in the end she allowed him to clean his mother's face.

Kankri touched Porrim's face again, this time gently rubbing the cloth against her cheeks and forehead, perfectly seeing in his mind's eye how the blood and dirt disappeared allowing the beautiful face of his mother to be revealed. While he worked, he heard moving near him and he knew that Meulin was carefully tending to Porrim's wounds, just like Porrim has done for the olive blood before. 

"Is it really that bad?" Kankri asked, remembering the words of the Restless. 

"She was beaten pretty badly, but her powers allowed her to take more damage than normal," Meulin explained. "She is strong. She will be fine."

Kankri knew that. He understood how strong Porrim was, even more so than Meulin. She wasn't there after all. She wasn't there all those winters to see Porrim starving herself and losing more and more weight just so her son wouldn't feel lack. Meulin wasn't there every night when Porrim was murmuring in her sleep the name of one who Kankri believed to have been her moirail. Meulin wasn't there to see Porrim cry alone, when she thought Kankri was asleep. 

And yet, in spite of everything she kept going. There were so many things that proved to Kankri just how strong his mother was and he didn't doubt, not even for a second, that she would be fine.

When Meulin was finished they put a blanket, that survived the raid, over Porrim to keep her warm.

"You should rest too, Kankri," Meulin suggested. "I will keep an eye out for any trouble." 

Kankri shook his head. "No. Not yet. Let's take care of what little we have left so that we can leave after mother wakes up."

Meulin nodded, but even if Kankri was the one who gave the idea she didn't let him do anything. The girl found a small bag in which she neatly arranged everything they had left: makeshift bandages, the money that Porrim had earned a while back and some leftover food.

"I will go find some more food supplies. Get some rest." Meulin prepared to go into the woods. Despite feeling tired, he wanted to help in any way she could.

"You need it way more than me, Meulin," Kankri said, as if sensing the state she was in. "You worked more than I did."

"I'm fine. You are the one who got hurt." Kankri felt a hand take his own, leading him towards the direction of his mother. "Sleep a little and by the time I will be back, Porrim will wake up and we will leave."

The boy wanted to keep protesting, but as soon as he was pushed down and his head lay on the soft grass he passed out, not realizing how tired he actually was.

He expected the same dreams of death and brutality as always, but instead he found himself on a hill. He felt the breeze go through his hair as though it was real. He looked up at the dark, starry sky, but he couldn't see the glow of the green moon anywhere which confused him. His confusion didn't last for long because someone called out to him from behind.

"Kankri," the voice said.

The boy turned around to look who was the one that had called for him. It was... his mother, but younger and different. Her hair was longer, her dress was more elegant and revealing and some beautiful tattoos were decorating her skin. She seemed only a little older than him by one sweep or at most two. 

"What are you doing here? Looking like that no less," she scolded him and Kankri looked down at himself to see that he was wearing a pair of leggings that came up to his armpits. When he looked at Porrim again, she was coming towards him holding a red sweated that she took out of nowhere. Kankri felt himself wanting to refuse her, but he was somewhat scared of her reaction. She forcefully pulled the sweated over his head and Kankri sighed. 

"Come on," Porrim said. "The other are waiting."

Kankri didn't know who "the others" were but he followed her nonetheless. When they got to the edge of the hill, Kankri could see what she meant. In front of him, stood about ten other trolls his age, each of them of a different caste. He had never seen those people before. He could vaguely recognize from afar one of them to be Meulin, but the rest were complete strangers. Some of them were looking extremely bored, like they were forced to show up and the rest were talking excitedly among themselves. Kankri found himself walking towards them, but before he could reach them he woke up. 

He was disappointed to realize that he couldn't see anything around him. He felt his mother near him, sleeping peacefully and in the distance the sound of voices was heard. 

"Meulin," Kankri whispered wishing that his friend was nearby. Shuffling was heard before she approached him. 

"Yes?" 

"Someone is coming. We have to leave," Kankri said with a sense of urgency in his voice.

"How do you know?" Meulin asked.

"Can't you hear them talking?" 

"No. I can't hear anything out of the ordinary." Kankri strained his ears and tried to hear it again. Yes, they were definitely coming their way. The Restless had warned them to leave and the boy was planning on doing just that. He turned towards his mother and shook her awake. 

"Mother, we have to leave. Wake up!"

Porrim opened her eyes slowly, wincing in pain when she got up. She looked at Kankri and gasped softly.

"Kanny, your eyes..."

"We'll talk about it later." Kankri put a hand on Porrim's arm and helped her stand. "Can you walk? We have to leave."

"Kankri, what is going on?" The mother asked.

"No time to explain. I will later, I promise." The boy turned to Meulin. "Did you get everything?"

"Yes. Let's go," Meulin said as she moved next to Kankri to guide him, while he supported his mother.

They walked without stopping for hours, until day broke and Porrim and Meulin were too tired to keep going. They found a small cave, at the base of the mountain and Kankri helped Porrim sit down on a rock, while Meulin opened her bag to take out the fruits she picked. She handed one to each of them.

"Kanny, will you tell me what happened? How did you hurt your eyes?" Porrim asked. "The last thing I remember was fighting the drones. And then... I passed out. How did you find me?"

Kankri proceeded to tell her everything afterwards. The two of them running away, leaving her behind; the realization that he might not see again and the Restless who helped them. By the time he was done, his mother's eyes glistened with unshed tears. Suddenly, Kankri felt himself be pulled into an embrace which he returned gratefully. Meulin watched them with a sad smile on her lips. 

"It's not your fault. You know that, right?" Porrim whispered after they broke the hug. 

Kankri lowered his head and didn't say anything. "We should get some rest..."

Porrim wanted to protest, but the look on Kankri's face told her he wished to close the subject. The three of them lay down on the hard stone and closed their eyes in an attempt to sleep. Porrim fell asleep immediately, still feeling weary from her wounds, but the kids were not so lucky.

"Are you asleep, Meulin?" Kankri whispered. 

"No. I can't sleep..."

"Me neither," said Kankri. He debated telling his friend about the dream he had, that just wouldn't leave his thoughts. In the end, he decided to tell her, knowing it might help him feel better. "Last time I went to sleep, I had a dream." 

This got the attention of the girl and she turned her head to gaze at her friend. "Was it bad?"

"No... just, different." Kankri told her about the dream he had and heard her giggle softly after she learned about it. "Is it funny?"

"No, it's just so random!" Meulin said, a little louder than she intended. Kankri smile a little, too. He admired that about Meulin. She could keep a clear head in every situation and she could always be cheerful about anything. Somehow, she could always see the bright side of things. 

"What do you think it means? Who were those other trolls?" she asked after some time.

"No idea," Kankri replied. "They didn't see vicious, like most of the other trolls are. And you were there, too. Although, I couldn't see very clearly so far away, but I'm sure it was you."

"I say you don't beat yourself up about this. It's just a dream," Meulin said.

"Yes, I guess you're right... Goodnight, Meulin," Kankri said, not believing his own words. He felt that this was more than just a dream, but he didn't want to worry Meulin any further. 

"'Night!" 

She fell asleep shortly after, but Kankri still couldn't. It was really late, when he finally did and his dreams were back to what they were before he went blind. Waking up, the boy didn't understand anything, but he was determined to find out what was happening to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Review is appreciated. :)


	13. A shared secret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The action returns this chapter. Kinda... Whatever, enjoy!!!

The three of them kept traveling through the forest, without a destination in mind. Porrim's wounds healed slowly and when she was able to hunt again, Meulin was able to get some rest, as she was the one who took care of their food. Kankri wished to help, but he couldn't do anything without his sight. Instead he concentrated on becoming better at living without it.

His senses had honed since he lost his eyes, his hearing was better, his touch was more sensitive, his sense of smell and taste also improved, but he also got something he didn't feel before. He could sense the emotions of others. He could understand better than ever, what it meant when Meulin's voice suddenly cracked when she told him she was fine. Or he could hear the weariness in his mother's voice after a long hunt. He didn't know how to feel about this, but he tried his best to understand what was happening to him.

Similarly, he barely had any dreams like the one that caused him so much confusion. The only thing close to it, were simple images of different trolls. They lasted for only seconds, but Kankri somehow remembered every detail of their faces. And sometimes, he'd watch them from afar. He'd watch the way they interacted, their laughs and smiles and always feeling like intruding, but at the same time feeling incredibly lonely. He didn't tell anyone of this, not even Meulin, because he didn't want to worry her even more than she already was. 

Things were bad enough as they were, anyway. The dim season came, and and they never stayed in one place for too long. Sometimes they would rest in a cave, for a few days or maybe perigees if it was a particularly remote place. They would raid abandoned hives, and maybe even sleep there if they thought it was safe, but they didn't take any chances of permanently moving in.

They lived from hunted beasts, and the little money Porrim would earn while they were near a town. While she was away, the kids would wait for her on the outskirts, without bringing attention to themselves. 

There were in such a place, when Kankri woke up from a nap. In his mind stood the image of another dream. This one, a little more different: he was talking in front of all the trolls that he had seen during his sleep. All of them looked bored and very few actually took interest in what he was saying. He could examine each and one of them again, but those faces were already imprinted in his mind. 

"Kankri, are you alright?" Meulin asked and he smiled at her, knowing he wouldn't be able to fool her. 

"Yes, I'm fine," Kankri replied, wondering if he should finally tell her about his secret. "Just thinking about my dream." 

"What dream?" Meulin asked again and Kankri noticed the genuine interest that she held for what they were discussing. 

"Remember that weird dream I told you about, a while back?" Kankri asked. "A bunch of them like it. I just can't help thinking there is more to them, you know?"

"Why don't you try writing them down?" she proposed. "Maybe if you can put down your thoughts it will make much more sense."

Kankri thought about it for a few moments and came to the conclusion that it wasn't a bad idea. "The only problem is that I won't be able to write anything."

"I will write them for you!" Meulin said in an excited voice. She then stood up and walked towards Porrim's bag. Kankri could hear her moving things inside before he noticed a clinking sound that made the boy realize what she was looking for. 

"What are you doing? The dark season is coming. We'll need all the money we can get," he said as he stood up to stop her. 

"Don't worry. I only need a few coins. It will be better on the long run if your head is clearer," Meulin explained. "I will be right back." With that she left and Kankri couldn't argue anymore.

She returned about ten minutes later and placed a big thing in front of him. He touched it and realized it was a book.

"It's a journal," Meulin said. "You will tell me your dreams and I will write them here."

"Uhm, I suppose we could do this..." Kankri replied, unsure of Meulin's plan. He didn't know if he wanted to tell her about all of his dreams. He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder which made him flinch. He didn't hear Meulin approaching. 

"You can trust me, Kankri," she said. "I am here for you." 

Kankri turned his head, hoping he was actually looking at her before he answered. "I know. Thank you." 

They shared a brief hug and got to work. They spent the rest of the afternoon with Kankri speaking of his dreams and Meulin writing them down. The boy described in detail every single one of the trolls from his dreams, along with the brief conversations between them. When they were done, they had only filled a few pages, but Kankri was sure they would fill a lot more in the future. 

Porrim returned a few hours later and by that time Kankri and Meulin had discussed telling her of his dreams and the journal. He decided that it was for the best that she knew, so after they ate Kankri turned to her to talk about what was happening to him. 

"Mother, there was something I wanted to tell you," Kankri said. He was feeling nervous although he had no reason to be. He knew his mother would understand, no matter what he decided to tell her. 

"What is it?" she asked, with obvious worry written on her face. Kankri took a deep breath, before he began.

"I've been having these really weird dreams, ever since I went blind," Kankri explained, then he put the journal in her hands. "Meulin came with the idea of writing everything down, so I wouldn't have to think about it so much. Here is everything."

Porrim read over it quietly and after she was done she looked at her children who were awaiting her answer. "You could have told me about this, Kanny," she said in a soft voice. 

"I just... I didn't know what to think of them. I wanted to understand better what was going on before I told you," Kankri replied, in a quiet voice. 

"Do you understand it better now?" Porrim asked.

"I don't," the boy said truthfully. He really wanted to. "Those dreams felt so real, like they are actual memories. I know that's stupid, but I really feel like there is more to them than simple dreams."

"Then we will figure it out together. If you say there is something more to it, then I believe you." Porrim smiled, before slowly caressing Kankri's cheek. "I promise I will do my best to help you."

Soon, they left the town. And the perigees passed, until the dark season came and along with it the cold. They decided to spend the winter in the forest, where they could make fires and be sheltered by the trees. But even so, they didn't stay in one place for too much time. They were often traveling from place to place. It was easier to keep warm this way, than staying in one place.

One day, as they were traveling, Kankri could tell that something was off. He was sure he could hear footsteps, around them. He became worried and decided to confide in his companions.

"Hey," he whispered. "I think there are some trolls around here. I hear footsteps all around us and I don't think they are from beasts." 

He barely finished his sentence when they stepped into a small clearing and from behind tress and bushes trolls started running towards them. In seconds, they were surrounded from all sides by about a dozen trolls. Most of them were lowbloods, but some greenbloods and bluebloods were also among them. 

Kankri reached for the sickle that was strapped at his side, although he didn't learn how to use it properly. Porrim's skin turned white as she hissed at the approaching attackers while Meulin let out an animalistic growl before jumping to attack one of them. 

The battle was lost quickly as Kankri felt his sickle being slapped out of his hand and he felt a blade near his throat.

"Stop struggling or he will die," the voice of the person behind him said. "Just come with us quietly and I promise you, you won't get hurt."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and tell me what you think! :)


	14. A safe place

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New character! Enjoy!!!

After Kankri was taken hostage, the strangers took their weapons and bags and put on blindfolds. Although, for Kankri it was all the same. They took away the blade from his neck, but instead they tied his hands with rope and he could tell that they did the same to Porrim and Meulin. They walked for minutes, until one of the trolls that were accompanying them spoke. 

"You will be walking up stairs now," he said, and a sound was heard like gears shifting before they were led up a flight of stairs.

Kankri could feel the blindfold being taken off his eyes and he heard a small gasp coming from Meulin. They air around him was cool and he could tell that he was somewhere in the underground by the smell of humidity. 

As they climbed the stairs, they heard murmurs around them and Kankri could tell that there were others here. They soon left behind the voices, and started walking through some corridors until a door opened and they were locked inside the room. 

"What is this place?" Kankri asked. 

"It appears that it is an underground base," Porrim answered, confirming Kankri's thoughts from earlier. "There were some other trolls that didn't seem to be soldiers. I don't know what the purpose of this place can be."

"We should make a plan of escape," Meulin said. "They said they won't hurt us, but we have no reason to believe they will keep that promise."

They started making a plan, but they didn't have enough time to figure everything out before the door was open again and a single troll entered. They decided to see what will happen and find some information before they could run away. 

"Come on," he said. "I am taking you to our leader."

They walked with him quietly until they reached a large door that opened with a creak. When he said leader they were expecting some tall, muscled highblood, not the elegant woman sitting at the head of the table. 

She was indeed tall, but she was slim and wearing a black dress with light green stripes. Her hair reached a little past her shoulder and was curly only at the tips. Her horns were bent twice, once horizontally then curling upwards in a sharp tip. Her fangs were also slightly curled, and on her chest Cango- The sign of the Opus was drawn in lime. 

Kankri could feel many others in the room, but her presence was the most powerful. 

"Hello, travelers," she said, with a warm and melodious voice. "Welcome. I'm sorry for the rough treatment you received, but I'm afraid it was necessary. We had to make sure you were not Imperial Soldiers. Please, release their binds."

The same troll that led them came to untie their wrists, and Kankri could suddenly feel a change in Meulin's demeanor and he realized that she was about to attack. 

"Wait, Meulin," Kankri said. "She won't hurt us. She isn't a bad person."

"Kanny, we still have to be wary," Porrim whispered his way.

"Of course," the so called leader said. "You don't need to trust me and I am not asking you to. I understand that you have gone through a lot. Please, have a seat and let us chat."

The three of them warily sat down at the table. A big grubloaf was placed in front of them along with some water. 

"Please have some. You must be starving," the leader said. 

Porrim outrightly refused and demanded that they start "chatting".

"Alright then. I'm afraid I cannot give you my real name, for security reasons, but I have come to be known as the Defender. As you might have noticed by my sign, I don't belong in this society and the colour of my blood alone can get me culled," she explained and Kankri's face lit up. He wondered if this woman was like him.

"What do you mean?" he asked a little too eagerly which earned him a "Be careful" look from his mother. 

"Oh yes, you are quite young so you can't know," she began. "I am a limeblood. Which, of course, means that the colour of my blood is lime. About 30 sweeps ago, when I was not even alive, the highbloods decided, for a reason that I have not yet learned, that all limebloods like myself are to be culled and thus they eradicated an entire caste. Through the Mothergrub, some limeblood genetics still existed and few limebloods have been hatched, since. But not many of us have survived and I am one of the only few that managed to."

Kankri listened to her story and realized that she wasn't all that different from him. She was also born, when she wasn't meant to. She also survived, when she wasn't meant to, just like him. 

"My childhood was hard and full of peril. After I reached adulthood I was tired of seeing all those that I loved dying before my eyes, so I decided to create this place. Cimex Alveare is a safe place for all outlawed trolls that have nowhere else to go."

"Safe?" Porrim asked. "There is no such thing. Every place that I had thought safe only brought me more destruction."

"I see you have been through a lot," the Defender said. "You don't need to make a decision now, but know that you may stay if you so wish. We will give you a room to rest in and tomorrow we will talk again and come to an agreement."

Kankri thought about it. Was it really possible that they could stay in a safe place, with other trolls. He really wished it could be, because now that he imagined it, he wanted to make it reality. 

"But before that," she reached under the table from where she brought out their bags and Kankri's sickle. "I must ask you, where did you get this from," she said as she held the sickle in her hand. 

"That is mine," Kankri spoke up. "It was gifted to me." 

"By whom?" she asked. 

"He called himself the Restless," Kankri replied. "If it wasn't for him, we would be dead now."

"Was this 'Restless' a Threshecutioner by any chance?" Kankri only nodded in response and the woman smiled.

"That's good," she said. "At least we know that not everyone in the Imperial Armies follow their orders blindly. Another thing, this book? Did you write it?"

"Meulin did, but those are my dreams," Kankri answered. 

"I see," she said. "They are quite interesting. The way these trolls are interacting. Never seen anything like it in any kind of literature. I hope you do not my mind the fact that I looked through them."

Normally, he would've hated the thought of others looking through those pages, seeing as the dreams are something very personal for him, but he found that it didn't bother him. He reached for the book and the sickle that was being handed to him as Porrim took the bags. 

"You are welcome to leave if you wish, but that will require some procedures so I am just asking you to tell us beforehand." The Defender asked one of the trolls in the room to lead them to their chamber, but before they would leave, Porrim asked a question that Kankri also wondered about. 

"Why didn't you ask for our names or anything of the sort?"

"I did not see it fit to do so, seeing as I didn't give you my name either. Names are powerful in our society and over the sweeps I found that it was better to keep it hidden." 

With that, they were led out of the spacious room back into the corridors. They walked for a few minutes before they were brought inside a small chamber. The one that accompanied them spoke. 

"You have everything that you might need here," he said as he pointed to different objects. "The ablution block is behind that door over there. There is a recuperacoon for each of you. There are fresh clothes in the closet. And because you haven't become one of us yet, I will stand outside the door to keep an eye on you. If you need anything, you can just ask me. Oh, and food will be here shortly."

Porrim nodded in understanding before they stepped inside the room. Kankri was really excited, because he had never seen anything like it before. He walked around the room, touching every object and imagining everything that was around him. 

"This is amazing!" he said and he heard Meulin giggle near him. 

"Yep. I can't wait to take a hot bath," she said and Kankri could tell she was really excited. "It's been ages. Oh and sleeping in a recuperacoon, I wonder how will that be after such a long time."

"I never slept in a recuperacoon," Kankri confessed. 

"Oh, you will love it," Meulin promised. "It is so comfortable. And there are no dreams. No dreams! Can you believe that?"

It did sound nice to Kankri. "Does it work for nightmares, too?" he asked.

"Of course it does," replied Porrim, making herself noticed. "It's been so long since I had a nice dreamless sleep. I was so sorry that I wasn't able to give the same thing to you."

"But now you can," Kankri said, knowing that no matter how much he wanted to stay, the decision was still his mother's. "Will we stay?"

"I don't know, Kankri," Porrim answered, truthfully. "We have to see what staying here will mean. It most definitely won't be free. Enough about this now. You two are going to take a bath."

Kankri let Meulin go in first and until then he explored the room. When she was done it was his turn and he quickly realized how much better it was to bathe in an ablution trap with hot water than in a river. He enjoyed it immensely and the only thing that saddened him was the fact that they might not experience this again if their mother came to the decision of leaving. 

As he left the ablution block, Meulin was waiting for them with food and they ate until they were full. He couldn't ever remember eating so much. After their small feast, Porrim instructed Kankri how to sleep in the recuperacoon and he had never slept better in his entire life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Review is appreciated! :D


	15. A blind prophet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have this after forever, I guess...

They woke up the next day to another mountain of food, but they didn't eat as much as before. As they were led through the corridors again, they passed by the other trolls and this time Kankri could make out some of the whispers. 

"It's the signless one," a voice said and Kankri frowned. He realized they are talking about him. 

"And the jade blood," said another.

However, Kankri couldn't dwell on what they were saying because they reach a pair of large doors and they entered the same room where the Defender was sitting at the table in the same way as she had the night before, almost like she never left. 

"Good morning," she said. "Did you sleep well?" 

"The best I have ever slept," Kankri replied and Meulin hummed in agreement. Porrim cleared her throat behind them, which shut them up immediately.

The Defender only smiled. "I am glad," she said. "Please, have a seat."

They sat down near her and Porrim refused once again when she offered them food, but this time under the pretext that they have already eaten. 

"Was the room to your liking?" she asked.

"Yes, it was," Porrim replied. "We are grateful for your hospitality."

"Does that mean you have decided to stay?" the Defender asked. 

"We will make a decision after you tell us more about this place." Porrim came to the conclusion that Kankri and Meulin would deserve a better upbringing than traveling forests and deserts. They deserved better food and better shelter. Porrim wanted to give to them what they needed and if this place was truly was safe as the Defender said it was, then she wanted to learn more about it and even stay if they could.

"This place was built in the mountain, with only one entrance, which is hidden and guarded at all times," the leader began explaining. "The forest around the area is also under guard, so any troll passing through will be seen by one of our own. They are taken here, blindfolded so they won't be able to tell the exact location and then we speak. If they are travelers such as yourselves, we offer them a place here. The only thing they need to do is work together with us. Farming, guarding, cooking, hunting, things like these, and sometimes we even organize raids and steal from the highbloods."

"And what of those that are not travelers?" Kankri found himself asking. 

"If they are simple trolls, that stumbled upon our place by accident and are happy with their lives, we knock them out and bring them to the outskirts of the forest. If they are soldiers, something that rarely happens, we can't take any chances and we kill them." 

It appears the Defender noticed Kankri's shock because she spoke again. "There are dozens of trolls here under my protection. It would be way too foolish to allow Imperial forces to know of the existence of this place or everyone here would be in terrible danger."

The Defender explained all that and Kankri knew that what she was saying was true, but he couldn't help but think that it wasn't right. It wasn't right that some trolls had to keep hiding from those who lead their society just to be safe. 

"It isn't right," he whispered out loud before he could stop himself. 

"You are right. It isn't," she said. "But this is the world we live in. And it will hardly change."

"I will change it!" Kankri suddenly said surprising Meulin and Porrim and even himself. He had no idea what brought this upon him, but he continued speaking. "My dreams... I think I finally understand them. That world from my dreams. It's like ours, but different. Where pain and suffering are non-existent. That's what we have to do. Make that dream, reality." 

The boy suddenly felt self-conscious as he felt as all the eyes in the room had turned to him. He blushed a little before he sat back down on his chair. He didn't even realize that he had stood up. 

"That's interesting," the Defender said. "Will you tell me more about those dreams?"

"There is nothing to tell, really," Kankri said. "I mean, other than what you read in the journal. They began after I lost my sight."

"They could be prophetic dreams, then?" she asked, seemingly lost in though. "Like the Blind Prophets. Maybe these dreams are a way for you to know what you are supposed to do. How to change Alternia."

Kankri had never thought about it like that. As the two of them spoke, Porrim remembered the reason she took Kankri in in the first place. How she felt that he was special and that was the reason she gave up everything. That made her realized that a chance at a normal life, couldn't be given to Kankri and Meulin any other way and made a decision. 

"So you are saying that the only payment we have to give you for staying are chores, right?" Porrim intervened. 

"That is right," the Defender said. "Will you stay?"

"Yes," Porrim replied which earned a few shouts of glee from the kids. Sincere and childish, just like Kankri didn't announce to everyone a few minutes ago that he will change the world. 

"That's great," the leader said. "We are happy to have you. If you don't want to give your name with us, then I recommend making up a title for yourselves. If you don't someone around here probably will and I can't guarantee that you will like it."

Kankri put a finger to his chin in thought. "While on my way here, some of the trolls called me the Signless. I will go with that, I suppose."

"Why the Signless?" asked Porrim confused. 

"Because for one, some of the trolls here know me like that and you also told me I was special for not having a sign. Then my name will also be special," Kankri said and Porrim smiled fondly.

"What will your name be, Meulin?" 

Meulin hummed softly to herself and thought about a suitable name. "Well, since you are a prophet, I will be the Disciple."

Kankri didn't really think he liked that. "Why the Disciple?"

"Because I already am like your disciple. I wrote down your prophetic dreams, right?"

Kankri didn't get to argue, anymore because he knew he wouldn't win. Meulin usually did what she wanted with no regard to what he or Porrim would say. He didn't like the idea of Meulin being his "disciple" but he decided to give up, at least for now. 

"What will you be called, mother?" he asked.

"I... don't know," she replied. 

"How about Dolorosa?" proposed the Defender.

"I'm afraid I do not know what that means," Porrim said. 

"It is a word from the same ancient language as the name of this place. It means 'grieving'. I believe it suits you, seeing all the hardships you have went through."

"I suppose it works," she said. She wasn't nearly as excited about the names as the kids were so it didn't really matter to her all that much. 

The Defender smiled warmly at them and Porrim wondered if they could trust her. Only one way to find out, she figured. 

"We would also like to speak with you privately, if that is possible. There are some things about us, that you, as a leader should know," Porrim said forming a plan in her head. 

She would be alone with the Defender and tell her of Kankri's mutation. If she was alright with them, they would stay, if not she would take her hostage and leave along with Kankri and Meulin. 

"I don't think that's wise," said a green blood that was standing nearby. 

The Defender smiled. "Worry not. They are not bad people. I will have to ask everyone in this room to leave."

The trolls reluctantly did so and when the room was empty, Porrim lit up her skin. 

"As you can see, I have a... let's call it a condition. I have been killed once and I came back as one of the creatures of legend. A Rainbow Drinker," Porrim explained.

The Defender studied her glowing skin. "Fascinating," she said. "Although, I don't see why that would be a problem."

"It isn't. However, what I will say next could be, depending on your thoughts." The Defender nodded as if to tell Porrim to continue. 

The mother looked at Kankri. "The boy's blood is of an unusual color. It is bright red, the likes of which doesn't exist on the hemospectrum. That is also the reason for which he does not have a sign."

To Porrim's, Kankri's and Meulin's surprise, the Defender smiled warmly. She reached across the table and took Kankri's hand in hers. 

"It appears we are more alike than I initially thought. You have my full support and I will even keep this a secret from the other trolls so as to not stir up any conflicts. Thank you for telling me."

Porrim sighed in relief. It was a huge gamble, what she did, but it appears it was worth it. 

After that, the Defender led them herself through the corridors where she showed to each of them their own respiteblock. She glanced at the kids, who were clean and fed and happy and she smiled, thinking that maybe, for just a little while, she could allow them to feel this way. Even if it seemed too good to be true, this place would bring them safety for the moment and that's all that mattered to Porrim. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Reviews are appreciated :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I am a beginner writer so I still have plenty of room for improvement. Constructive criticism is welcome. Tell me what you think! :)


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